Michael C. Hall explains why Dexter Morgan is not a complete sociopath in Dexter: New Blood. Hall has been reprising his title character in the anticipated revival, which has seen Dexter return to his serial killer methods after ten years living off the grid of Miami. New Blood centers around Dexter settled in his new life under the name of Jim Lindsay in a town in New York called Iron Lake. He has been able to integrate himself very well with the townspeople and is in a relationship with the Chief of Police, Angela Bishop.
Dexter finally breaks his ten-year streak when he kills the son of one of the most well-known residents in his town, Kurt Caldwell, who is also a killer and the subject of an active investigation of multiple missing girls in the town. Dexter's normal life is constantly reminded of his Dark Passenger and urge to kill again, which is complicated when his estranged son, Harrison, seeks him out and begins to live with him. The latest episodes of the reboot show sees Dexter being concerned about his son possessing those raging qualities.
Now, Hall has stated in an interview with Variety that he does not believe Dexter Morgan is a total sociopath, commenting that he has a sensitive side to himself because of the consequences he faces as a result of his murderous urges and manipulative behavior and how that affects the people he loves. Even though Dexter acknowledges his actions, he wants to become better for the people he cares about and try to avoid the dark desire. Hall's statement can be viewed below:
"He's someone who's been contending with the collateral damage of his behavior. If Dexter were a total sociopath, he would've disappeared from Miami and just continued killing. But the fact is, he hasn't. He has some sense of responsibility that he's taking. He's telling himself a story about himself that is quite different from the one he was telling when we met him way back when. He does refer to himself as a monster, but an evolving monster."
Throughout the original series, fans have seen how Dexter's actions have had a tragic effect on himself and his loved ones, beginning with his wife Rita being murdered by a killer he was tracking down, and his sister Debra, who was also hurt by a serial killer that Dexter was trying to catch. Dexter has long desired to live a peaceful life devoid of any crimes, but Hall has also stated that Dexter is "contending with a desire to cultivate some access to purity and then a shadow desire to just completely surrender to his dark impulses in a way that he never has."
Dexter: New Blood has now reached past its halfway mark into the season and with only three episodes left and many unresolved storylines, it will be interesting to see if Dexter will continue to evolve as a person or if he will just be back where he started as a killer. The last episode had Dexter revealing his true identity to Angela, which ended with Angela needing his experience as a forensics expert after stumbling upon the corpse of her childhood friend. Dexter also has concerns about Kurt's influence on Harrison, as he is leaning more towards his guidance. It will be exciting to see how all these storylines tie together and what the conclusion will be.
Source: Variety