Dexter creator Clyde Phillips admits he's grateful his original ending for the drama series was never used. The Showtime series ran for 8 seasons from 2006 to 2013, tracking the exploits of forensic technician Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall). A normal guy on the surface, Dexter moonlights as a serial killer who preys on criminals he feels have not been properly brought to justice. Dexter remains one of the biggest shows in Showtime history, even after the series finale dampened fans' love of it considerably. To this day, Dexter's end is regarded as one of the worst of all time.
As Dexter had spent all 8 seasons just managing to avoid some justice of his own, fans expected the show to end with either his death or his capture. Dexter somehow chose neither option, instead letting its anti-hero fake his death and disappear into the forest to be, of all things, a lumberjack. Much has been said about this disappointing conclusion, but the hope is that its legacy can be changed by Dexter: New Blood, a revival of the series set to premiere this weekend on Showtime.
Before returning for New Blood, Phillips created Dexter and served as showrunner for the first 4 seasons. He's spoken at length in the past about the original ending he envisioned for the series, though as he told Screen Rant in a recent interview, he's quite glad it never came to pass. Simply put, Dexter: New Blood wouldn't be possible if it had happened. Phillips said:
Well, my idea was, and it's online so people can look it up -- by the way, thank God, we didn't do it because we wouldn't be having this conversation now -- is that, whatever the episode is, plays out, and then, suddenly, Dexter goes, "(GASPS!)" and we think, "Oh, shit, he's waking up from a dream. You're really doing that to us?" But really, what he's doing, he's waking up on the execution table and all of his victims in the witness area [are there]. We see [John] Lithgow, Jimmy Smits and Jamie Murray and all the weekly victims are witnessing his execution. And then, whatever brilliant voiceover that we would write would come up and then the show would end. And had we done that, we wouldn't be making this fantastic show we're making right now.
Assuming for a second that Dexter did conclude the way Phillips originally planned, it's probably safe to say it would've been far more well received than the series' true ending. Not only does it give Dexter a concrete ending, it also remains true to the story. Fans were baffled by Dexter's decision to leave his son and killing behind, and Phillips' original plan avoided that by having him face justice for his crimes. Plus, it would've allowed for some last minute cameos, which is always a pleasing element of finales.
Still, as Phillips pointed out, that ending doesn't really allow for future revivals. In fact, Hall has even admitted that the whole reason Dexter: New Blood is happening is because so many fans disliked the series finale. As terrible as the lumberjack conclusion is, it's also now allowing for a continuation of Dexter's story. The jury's still out on whether said conclusion will pull out a more satisfying ending for Dexter, but here's hoping Phillips has another solid idea stashed away for this one.
Dexter: New Blood premieres Sunday, November 7 on Showtime.