Dexter: New Blood introduces Angela as Dexter’s new girlfriend, and the similarities between her and Deb are quite striking. After a tumultuous eighth season, Dexter initially concluded its run back in 2013 with an overwhelmingly negative reception from critics and fans alike. Cut to the present day, and Dexter is well and back in the form of a 10-episode miniseries stamped with a snazzy title. With New Blood shaping up to be better than Dexter season 8, the new series cleverly builds on the derided final season with a few new additions and changes to the life of everyone’s favorite serial killer.
One of these additions is Dexter’s new girlfriend Angela Bishop, and it’s hard to look at her and not see a familiar face from Dexter’s past life. Indeed, it turns out that Angela shares a good deal of similarities with Dexter’s beloved foster sister Debra Morgan. Even though Deb tragically passes away at the end of Dexter season 8 (in one of the show’s numerous panned plot developments), it was not to be the end of her character—at least not entirely. As predicted, the new season of Dexter lets Deb return as a stand-in for Harry, becoming her brother’s new imaginary friend. And now that Deb is back, it’s all the more interesting how Angela mirrors Dexter’s deceased sister.
The first and most obvious similarity between Angela Bishop and Debra Morgan is that both characters are involved in law enforcement. Deb used to work at the Miami Metro Police Department, initially in Vice and then later in the Homicide Dept. Meanwhile, Angela is the Chief of Police for the town of Iron Lake where Dexter retreats to in search of a new life. She and Dexter got together at some point in the time between Dexter season 8 and New Blood, and Dexter conveniently has privileged access to the local police department once more.
Dexter’s relationship with Angela is another callback to Deb. As Dexter and Deb get closer after she discovers his murderous ways, a twisted romance forms between the adoptive siblings. For better or worse, it never blossoms into anything more than confessions and brief moments of emotional intimacy, but it is clear that the feelings between Dexter and Deb remain complicated at best. Angela becoming Dexter’s new love interest may be Freudian wish fulfillment on Dexter’s part, stemming from him never getting the chance to explore similar desires with Deb, who was in love with Dexter before her untimely demise.
This idea is further reinforced by Angela’s physical appearance. Played by Julia Jones, Iron Lake’s police chief may lack Debra’s penchant for excessive swearing, but she resembles Dexter’s sister in other, notable ways. A fellow brunette, Angela often has her hair tucked behind her ears like Deb, and Jones seems to have modeled her stride to echo the way Deb walks. It shouldn’t come as a surprise, either, that Jones and Jennifer Carpenter, the latter of who portrays Deb, look rather similar. Whether all of this is a coincidence is not out of the realm of possibility, but it would definitely make sense for there to be an intent behind these choices. New Blood also hints that Angela might die, so it remains to be seen if Dexter’s newfound girlfriend is bound for the same tragic destiny that befell Debra Morgan.