As if the other Dexter reboot teasers haven't already pointed toward a dark fate for those involved, the newest one makes the titular character's dream future for his son, Harrison, even more tragic. The Showtime dramedy ran a lengthy 8 seasons before it concluded with a widely disliked series finale in 2013. It starred serial killer Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall), a blood-spatter analyst for the Miami Metro Police Department. In his spare time, he was a vigilante who sought out and murdered other serial killers.
His day job was the perfect camouflage for his innate need to kill, which he referred to as his "Dark Passenger." Growing up, Dexter's adoptive father, Harry, taught him to harness his homicidal urges in a way that could at least aim to target the malevolent and protect the innocent. Even as an adult, Dexter always tried to abide by Harry's code, and he was grateful for the guidance at such a crucial age. But he also knew all too well that certain instincts can't be completely tamed, and this was a source of anxiety for him in regard to his son, Harrison. Many parents wish for better lives than they've had for their children, but Dexter also hoped that his son would turn out radically different than him on a core level.
In the season 8 finale, he even faked his own death and started a new life far away from Harrison to give him a chance at a healthy and normal existence without him. But the latest teaser for the darker Dexter reboot teaser makes it look like Harrison will be in his father's new life as "Jim Lindsay." The heavily symbolic ad shows a picture of Dexter holding a young Harrison in his arms, but the photo is burning in a fire. Part of the caption on the official Tweet reads, "Wanna know a secret? Daddy kills people." Clearly, despite Dexter's wishes in the season 8 finale, Harrison will be brought back into the show and will somehow reconnect with his estranged father. And, judging by the caption, it seems as though the boy will somehow discover Dexter's blood-soaked secret.
Though the prospect of a well-deserved Dexter reboot is exciting, and will most likely aim to correct its original ending, there's already a certain futile gloom attached to it. Clearly, life has not worked out for Dexter in the way he hoped it would when he fled Miami to become a lumberjack with a new identity. And judging by both this ad and other reboot teasers, he clearly hasn't overcome his compulsion to kill. His worries about his Dark Passenger have, unfortunately, been validated. And if that's the case for Dexter, who seems to be homicidally hardwired, what does that mean for Harrison? Whether Dexter is directly in his life or not, he'll always be connected to him by blood.
And even if Harrison doesn't turn out to be a killer like Dexter in the reboot, knowing his father's secret will forever alter his life--whether Dexter is part of it or not--and their overall relationship, if there is one. Dexter always wanted more for Harrison; in season 7, he even saw a flash-forward of what he hoped his son's life would end up looking like. He pictured him as athletic, well-adjusted, and stereotypically normal. But attaining and/or maintaining that life will certainly be more difficult for Harrison's character given the circumstances. Though it seems the Dexter return series will make Harrison privy to his father's inner darkness, hopefully, it can also provide him with some semblance of the peace and stability that the titular character always wanted for him in other areas of his life.