Back in November when Dexter: New Blood finally arrived on our screens, it appeared that the series’ loyal fans, yours truly included, were finally going to get the ending we felt we deserved. This continuing miniseries, or bonus season if you prefer, of Showtime’s beloved dark drama did a fantastic job establishing a concluding chapter for avenging serial killer Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall, Six Feet Under). Transporting our favorite psychopathic antihero from sunny Miami to snowy upstate New York with a decade-long time jump was indeed a bold move. And while New Blood was not without some flaws mixed in, its run was excellent with storytelling that we fans can be proud of. Most importantly, did this final installment, titled “Sins of the Father,” stick the landing where the much-maligned 2013 original ending did not? Let’s discuss…
The real meat-and-potatoes of New Blood dealt with Dexter having to reconnect with his estranged, long-lost son Harrison (Jack Alcott, The Good Lord Bird), who surprised Dex on his doorstep in the premiere. Their relationship was the ultimate driving force in this continuation of the Dexter franchise, and it did not let us down. Early episodes showed Harrison as a typical angsty and resentful teen, believing Dexter to be a neglectful, absentee father rather than a man running away and hiding from his dark past. Things turned more interesting when Harrison was shown displaying some of his dad’s violent and disturbing traits. And despite the “warnings” from the imaginary specter of his sister Deb (Jennifer Carpenter, The Exorcism of Emily Rose), Dexter’s honest revelations to his son about his previous activities, and being a possible mentor, actually helped to forge their unexpected bond. Special credit is due to young actor Alcott for his work in the series, expertly showing Harrison as a bitter yet impressionable teenager with perhaps the makings of a vigilante, in the vein of his old man.
A familiar Dexter trope that resurfaced during New Blood’s tenure was an equally psychotic adversary for Dex to contend with, a.k.a. the “villain of the season.” Veteran character actor Clancy Brown was a wonderful choice here to play the role of the unofficial Sniper Killer. As the wealthy trucking business owner of Iron Lake, Kurt Caldwell, like Dexter, was hiding in plain sight, as he had been responsible for murdering dozens of runaway young women passing through town over the years. And having known all along that Dexter had killed his spoiled son Matt in the debut episode, Kurt’s sneaky cat-and-mouse game with our antihero resulted in some thrilling confrontations. Even through his character’s sly attempts to play an endearing role model to Harrison, Brown amazingly exuded equal parts gruff intimidation and chilling creepiness. Though their methodologies were drastically different, the parallels between Dexter and Kurt were clear with the show’s writers giving us the latter’s own tragic childhood. Mix in both men’s failures when it came to paternal instincts, and Dex clearly had an opponent this time around that was more like him than he probably expected.
Undoubtedly, the New Blood character with the biggest arc was Angela Bishop (Julia Jones, Goliath), the Iron Lake chief of police and Dexter’s girlfriend. One of the great joys of this extending miniseries was watching her relentless determination in her police work take her on such an emotional journey. Her early search for the missing Matt transitioned to those of the missing runaway girls, including her childhood friend (Kurt’s first victim). Plus, we got to see Angela’s investigation result in a delightful surprise appearance from original series stalwart Det. Angel Batista (David Zayas, Gotham). But of course, this circumstantial encounter led to her not only cracking Dexter’s false alias as Jim Lindsay but also to her boyfriend’s ties as being the infamous Bay Harbor Butcher. Jones did a phenomenal job in New Blood, giving us a woman originally so caring and supportive as Dexter’s significant other. To see her shift to untrusting and suspicious, and then eventually incredulous and horrified in her pursuit for justice was a real sight to behold.
That’s not to say that this miniseries as a whole was not without its faults or plot holes that ended up going nowhere. Earlier on, we were introduced to the character Edward Olsen (Fredric Lehne, The Greatest Showman), the mysterious oil tycoon and target of Iron Lake’s environmental protestors. Despite his unhealthy fascination with Angela’s teenage daughter Audrey (Johnny Sequoyah, Believe), perhaps we viewers were foolish to think Olsen may have ended up actually being the Sniper Killer. Brown’s casting in New Blood should have been evidence enough that Lehne’s character was a mere red herring, but the latter still completely disappeared with little mention after. Less excusable was the logistics of how and when Kurt ended up killing Molly (Jamie Chung, Big Hero 6), the true-crime podcaster visiting town to report on Matt’s disappearance. The window between Molly’s last conversation with Angela and Kurt’s final encounter with Dexter and Harrison was far too slim for her to end up in Caldwell’s sick trophy display. Regardless, these are minor quibbles in the long run, especially with how this finale turned out.
As previously stated, the Dexter/Harrison relationship was the true nucleus of New Blood, and “Sins of the Father” brought the reckoning that it deserved. And as much as Dexter wanted to live under the Jim Lindsay identity and escape from his past, there was no true way that could feasibly happen. Dex trying to guide his son as a possible protégé to learn “The Code” was at first intriguing to the young man, as he yearned to punish the wrongdoers. And after vanquishing Kurt, the duo seemed prepared to start anew before Angela brought the hammer down on their plans. But the difference in Harrison’s mentality from his dad’s was his disapproval of Dexter killing the innocent Deputy Logan (Alano Miller, Cherish the Day) to escape custody.
Ironically, it took Harrison ultimately rejecting his father and condemning him for the mental issues and tragedies that befell their family for Dexter to do right for his son. The emotional scene of our guilty antihero begging his child to put him down for his sins was more riveting than any faked death by a hurricane. And the sociopathic Dexter’s true feelings of love for Harrison by not taking him down the same dark path gave the extra weight this final scene needed as he met his fate.
Thanks to the returning combination of star Michael C. Hall and original show-runner Clyde Phillips, Dexter: New Blood gave the franchise’s fan base the true ending that we all wanted and felt we deserved. The finale titled “Sins of the Father” also brought a fitting conclusion to this ten-episode standalone stretch. Even with some minuscule flaws littered in, this extra season/epilogue of the Dexter saga lived up to the hype and anticipation. Some may want Showtime and the network powers-that-be to do some kind of revival or spinoff down the road. But yours truly doesn’t feel that another stab is necessary and that everything here was perfectly wrapped up in our serial killer’s signature plastic. Incredibly written, acted, and filmed, New Blood unquestionably made sure that Dexter Morgan got the sendoff suitably justified for a pop culture icon.
The Dexter: New Blood Finale is now streaming on Showtime Anytime.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9H1uSS_zkk
