Showtime's Dexter panel at the TCA summer press tour this week revealed Deb is the new Dark Passenger for Dexter season 9 rather than Harry. Teased ahead of Dexter: New Blood's release, the Q&A confirmed Jennifer Carpenter would be returning as Deborah Morgan for the series reboot, although in a much more ethereal capacity. Michael C. Hall will also reprise his role as the iconic former blood splatter analyst and antihero Dexter, while newcomer Jack Alcott will play Dexter's son Harrison. One character that is almost certain not to return following Carpenter's announcement is Harry Morgan (James Remar), a personified representation of Dexter's Dark Passenger and skewed moral compass for the first eight seasons.
The Dexter series finale left a lot to be desired and was poorly received by fans, citing a wholly unsatisfying conclusion to Dexter's character arc as a primary factor. Dexter: New Blood will look to correct this in season 9, with its narrative picking up 10 years after the fateful day Dexter motored into the eye of Hurricane Laura.
Why Deb is the new Dark Passenger rather than Harry in Dexter season 9 boils down to the changes in Dexter's psyche following the season 8 finale. Deborah has become the embodiment of Dexter's moral compass due to his guilt over contributing to her death (and also getting rid of her body). Deb's inclusion as the new Dark Passenger additionally highlights the diminished importance of "The Code" in the series reboot, with Harry's internal replacement signifying an evolution of Dexter's ideologies that reflect the changes in his psyche.
Deb replacing Harry as Dexter's Dark Passenger is a clear indicator that Dexter will no longer follow his father's version of "The Code" in the series reboot. In the Dexter season 9 trailer, the protagonist has spent a decade existing under a false identity in an isolated part of upstate New York. Dexter undoubtedly will have had ample time to ruminate on his mistakes that foreshadowed Deb's death in Dexter season 8, placing more guilt on his already troubled shoulders. The idea, then, is that Dexter is so haunted by his past that his emotions have manifested themselves as an embodiment of his unresolved guilt. As Harry's stock fell in Dexter's eyes across the original eight seasons, Deb became Dexter's moral compass more and more. It makes sense that Dexter would replace Harry, an ideological system that ultimately failed him, with Deb, who can rationalize his guilt.
Of course, Deb may have replaced Harry for a different reason altogether. Dexter's failure to follow his father's code, particularly in the later seasons of Dexter, may have pushed the specter of Harry out of his mind. While Dexter, at numerous points, breaks Harry's code, Dexter's original ending does away with "The Code" altogether as Dexter races to evade capture and avenge his sister's death. While Dexter can rationalize many things to himself in order to keep killing, it seems he may not have been able to keep the doggedly virtuous image of Harry in his mind any longer. As an internalized character for Dexter, Deb represents how much his ideologies have changed compared to the pilot episode. Until Dexter: New Blood releases, there is no way of knowing whether Deborah being Dexter's backseat driver is a blessing or a curse, but either way, seeing how Dexter copes without an internal moral compass that was ingrained since his childhood will be fascinating to watch.
Dexter: New Blood will debut on Showtime on Sunday, Nov. 7th at 9 p.m. ET.