Dexter star Michael C. Hall has admitted that he was not a fan of the show's controversial finale. The Showtime series follows the eponymous Dexter Morgan (Hall), a blood splatter analyst for the Miami Police Department who also moonlighted as a serial killer that preyed on other, seemingly worse, killers. On its debut, Dexter was met with critical acclaim and rabid, knife-loving fans but by the finale the reviews turned sour. After eight years away, Hall is returning to play the beloved anti-hero in the upcoming event series Dexter: New Blood.
The original, and much maligned, finale saw Dexter's sister, Debra (Jennifer Carpenter) die and the killer burying her at sea like one of his many victims. Dexter then drives his boat into a hurricane, seemingly to commit suicide. The final moments of the show, however, reveal Dexter had just faked his death and was now sporting a long beard and working in Oregon as a lumberjack. It was among the most widely reviled finale's until Game of Thrones in 2019.
When discussing the new mini series with Entertainment Tonight, star Michael C. Hall revealed that, like many critics and fans, he wasn't satisfied with how the original finale turned out. The actor commiserated with fans who were left frustrated by the show's lack of resolutions or consequences for Dexter in its climax, saying "I would get why it was pretty unsatisfying." However, Hall was also able to look at the positives from the finale, as it set up the possibility for New Blood and this return to the character. The Six Feet Under actor said that he felt he owed the revival to the fans and to himself, his full quotes can be seen below:
"I totally get people's dissatisfaction with the way the show ended 'cause it didn't really end. It just left us in this pretty unresolved funny certain place and while I thought that it made sense for the character to find himself in that position and to put himself in this self-imposed exile after all the chaos after the show, I would get why it was pretty unsatisfying... [and] infuriating for fans, they spent all this time and were longing for something that answered some questions or tied some things up or did something that the finale didn't manage to do. But if nothing else, it did set the stage for what we've been up to for the last several months in this new show, so maybe that's the silver lining.
"Just as I knew that the show didn't sit that well in its finale with viewers, it didn't sit that well with me and I felt like I owed it to myself to explore it further if it came up. That it made sense and it did and owed it to the character and owed it to the fans for sure."
New Blood is set to take place around 10 years after the events of Dexter. The show finds Dexter living in a small town in Minnesota under the new name, Jim Lindsay. Dexter has been controlling his bloody urges, but some strange events in his small community threatens to unleash his inner monster. The cast includes Jack Alcott, Julia Jones, with Jennifer Carpenter returning as Deb, taking over from her father as Dexter's "Dark Passenger." It was also confirmed that John Lithgow will return as The Trinity Killer, perhaps Dexter's greatest adversary.
It remains to be seen whether fans will embrace the return of the killer when Dexter: New Blood premieres on Showtime on November 7. It's possible that a change in scenery is just what's needed for both the character and show. The Dexter revival underwent several different story ideas before going into development, so it can be assumed that a lot of thought has gone into this by the writers. Michael C. Hall's performance remained a high point for the show until its end, so fans can be assured that will continue in the new show.
Source: ET