‘Dexter: Original Sin’, the much-anticipated prequel to the runaway hit show ‘Dexter’, just undid the emotional spool rolled out by 2021’s ‘Dexter: New Blood’. In the sequel series, Dexter met his end after being shot by his son, Harrison, who himself was a carrier of the infamous “Dark Passenger”.
Cut to 2024, while fans wanted to learn about the makings of this serial killer in his youth, they were hit by a prologue wherein Dexter, in the present day, is revived in a hospital after he was supposed to be dead. Sure, viewers want more of his story and are relieved with Michael C. Hall narrating the show, but it just seems a disservice to the build-up in ‘New Blood‘, which played on the sins of the father weighing heavy on his child.
Dexter Is Back From The Dead In ‘Dexter: Original Sin’
Remember how ‘New Blood’ led to Harrison realizing Dexter’s “code” is a convenient justification for his murderous obsession? Dexter’s need to feed his dark passenger far exceeds his twisted morality of only killing those criminals who have slipped through the clutches of the justice system. He will save his own skin at any cost. This breaks Harrison’s heart, who had started bonding with his dad with trauma and dark tendencies at the core of their relationship.
So, a fatal shot is fired by Harrison and Dexter falls on the snow with the cold gripping him literally and metaphorically. While bleeding out in that eerie setting, he accepts, “Let me die so my son can live.” The ending seemed like a full circle, despite some fans campaigning for his resurrection. But in retrospect, the final scene seemed fitting.
Now, that demand has been fulfilled, for better or for worse. Dexter is alive as he is shown being rushed to the hospital by the cops and shocked back to life by the doctors in ‘Dexter: Original Sin’. This is where Dexter’s life flashes before him. Near-death experience and all… so this was bound to happen. So, the show kicks off with a flashback and takes us to 1991, 15 years before the original show. These events in the premiere set up the upcoming sequel series ‘Dexter: Resurrection’. Who can ever be sure of Dexter’s fate, right?
The Reason Behind Dexter’s Resurrection
The reversal of the ‘New Blood’ cliffhanger ending has unraveled Dexter’s character arc. He was always tormented by his demons, but it’s pretty clear that the Bay Harbor Butcher can’t stay dormant. This is why ‘New Blood’ had sealed Dexter’s fate as the creative team behind it kept reiterating.
Recently, in a chat with Entertainment Weekly, showrunner Clyde Phillips, who had worked on four seasons of Dexter previously and the sequel, admitted that Dexter did die in ‘New Blood’, but the finale’s popularity propelled them to revive him. He said about the series, “He dies in the end. I wrote the finale — he died at the end of that show. And then it was the most watched episode in the history of Showtime.” While a season 2 was denied, another sequel was “immediately” greenlit by the network. Between this, the prequel ‘Original Sin’ was developed.
If you are waiting for Michael C. Hall to make another appearance in the prequel, he is off for ‘Dexter: Resurrection,’ which is set for a 2025 release. So, this is young Dexter’s show, played by Patrick Gibson.
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Philips gave another tidbit about this expanding franchise: “They’re starting to call it the Dexter-verse.” As long as fans get to see Dexter entangled in bloody messes, fans will be intrigued. After all, Dexter was publicly outed to the world as a serial killer by the time ‘New Blood’ wrapped up. For how long can he get out of sticky situations? ‘Resurrection’ might bring answers, even if ‘New Blood’ didn’t.
