I’ve never really felt love, real love, until now.
At long last, Dexter Morgan finally paid the piper.
Although I am mildly disappointed the missing stop sign never came into play, I thought
the finale of Dexter New Blood was exceptionally well done, and I do believe it succeeded in
redeeming the Dexter Franchise.
The way they went about concluding the Dexter story here was far more satisfying than the
previous lumberjack finale.
Dexter recognized the end immediately.
He mentions it’s the first time he ever felt love, and he knows a life without Harrison
isn’t worth living.
It was a perfect ending for Dexter, he went out on his own terms, and he got to experience
something he never thought he’d have in life.
For those saddened by the demise of our favorite fictional serial killer, take solace in the
fact that Dexter had the merriest Christmas he could have imagined, and he experienced
true joy and happiness like that which he never experienced when he bonded with Harrison.
Although I do wonder if it ever occurred to Dexter that he might further forever scar
his son by having him murder his old man.
The ending works, not only because Dexter finally paid the piper, but also because Dexter
was finally revealed as the Bay Harbor Butcher.
At long last, Sergeant Doakes has been exonerated.
If they ever wanted to do a Dexter New Blood spin off, it might be interesting to see someone
like Batista close the book on the case with an Angela crossover.
I could maybe get on board with something like that.
And speaking of Angela, I thought she was a fitting hero in Dexter New Blood.
Her character had a lot in common with Deb, and unlike Deb, Chief Angela Bishop did NOT
abandon her principles, and she was determined to take Dexter down.
The ironic thing here is that Dexter was so lost in the bond with his son, that he failed
to realize he was underestimating her right before his very eyes.
At the end of the day Harrison really just wanted to be a normal kid, and ironically
he respected and understood the key aspect of the code, as taught by Harry, better than
Dexter himself, and Harrison was disgusted when he learned Dexter killed Logan, who was
perhaps the most good and decent character in the entire Dexter Universe.
Dexter wasn’t really even focused on the Don’t Get Caught aspect of the code.
His primary objective at this point was to get his son to flee together, so he could
fulfill his aspirations as a father-son duo unleashing the wrath their Dark Passengers.
The big difference is Harrison was driven by a genuine sense of justice, whereas Dexter
was driven by his desire to kill.
The Code was ALWAYS nothing more than a way for Dexter to channel his monstrous drive,
but to Harrison it was to eliminate bad guys like the one who took Rita’s life.
If you look back on Dexter, in my opinion there were two points where the show was effectively
set up for a perfect ending.
I thought killing off Rita and continuing the show in the manner they did was a terrible
creative decision.
Rita was literally the glue that helped the show work at an elite level.
Dexter needed a foil, and him blending in with a fake family life to act as cover for
his true passion worked on multiple levels.
If Rita hadn’t been killed, then the show could have gone on longer.
Imagine Dexter hunting Astor’s limo driver on prom night.
But since they DID kill Rita, in terms of the high quality we saw in seasons 1 through
4, at that point there were too many crazy things going around Dexter for him NOT to
be on the radar of law enforcement.
Quinn was onto Dexter for like a minute, but then he was sleeping with Deb and he got involved
with that whack job Liddy.
And Dexter moved on like nothing happened, except he no longer had his camouflage to
blend in, and the storylines were never as good.
Dexter never had his foil, and he no longer had the solid camouflage that drove the first
4 seasons in style.
But they bottled it, Rita died, Dexter moved on, and Dexter never paid the piper.
The other big opportunity for them to bring the show to an end was at the end of Season
6.
When Deb discovered Dexter was a murderer, she could have hesitated, allowing Dexter
to flee the scene, before Deb gains her resolve, her and LaGuerta find the slide discovering
that Dexter is the Bay Harbor Butcher, and Deb could have led the manhunt that takes
Dexter down.
This opportunity also could have happened at the end of Season 7, but by that point
Deb’s character had already abandoned every principle she held dear.
In either scenario, having a long manhunt, where Dexter hops town to town, killing without
a code, just trying to survive - that could have worked, up until Deb caught him or helped
in capturing him.
The ending we got, however, ended with Dexter again not paying the piper.
He effectively got away with everything, including murdering Saxon, and nobody seemed to care.
Quinn and Batista looked a little surprised, but ultimately decided Dexter was free to
go.
Dexter did pay a price, because just when he was on the brink of apparent happiness,
he decided then it was time to stay away from his loved ones.
Although at that point in the story, Season 8 was poorly done in the lead-up, and the
Lumberjack ending was almost like a betrayal of form.
The lack of proper build up made that an unsatisfying ending.
It worked story-wise on some level, but at that point they may have been better off having
Dexter wake up in Argentina with Hannah and Harrison declaring “Tonight’s the Night”.
But before that, the entire show always seemed to be building toward the day Dexter was either
locked up or killed, and ultimately exposed as the Bay Harbor Butcher.
This was the path we were on even before Season 2, which incidentally is still easily my favorite
Season
But Season 4 really should have been the beginning of the end.
By that point in the story, Dexter was directly involved with the Ice Truck Killer, who just
so happened to be engaged to Deb.
Doakes knew he was connected, and nobody cared.
Dexter then became best friends with Miguel Prado, who was to act as Best Man at Dexter’s
wedding.
These two had an epic 80s style bromance, and they were inseparable.
Miguel suddenly shows up dead.
But the crem de la crem is the fact that Deb and Dexter were again right in the middle
of the Trinity investigation.
Deb and Lundy were shot in this mess, and then against his normal MO, Trinity just so
happens to kill Dexter’s wife?
That’s some incredible coincidence at play in a two year span.
Side note, Lundy is one of the few innocent deaths that I never thought Dexter was responsible
for, but interestingly enough Dexter views him as such.
Personally I did not feel that Dexter New Blood was on the level of the first 4 seasons.
The consistency in the quality of the story just wasn’t on the level of the Ice Truck
Killer, Doakes and the Bay Harbor Butcher story, the entire Miguel Prado story, or the
incredible battle of the titans between Dexter Morgan and Arthur Mitchell, The Bay Harbor
Butcher vs The Trinity Killer.
But it was definitely better than the silly Doomsday story in Season 6, it was better
than the Vogel story, which had a lot of potential but not many real payoffs, and I think it
may have been better than Season 5 with the barrel girl killers, and also maybe better
than Season 7 with the Brotherhood, and also bringing back the Bay Harbor Butcher angle.
But where Dexter New Blood succeeded was in the stellar conclusion.
They ended the story about the best way they could have ended it at this point.
Perhaps the execution on how we got here could have been a little better, and there were
maybe some missed opportunities along the way, but I thought the final 2 episodes were
exceptionally well done, and I think they provided for a very entertaining and memorable
viewing experience.
Dexter paid the piper and they gave the iconic character a more deserving finale.
And in the end, on some level Dexter found redemption himself.
In the end he finally put someone else ahead of his own selfishness.
Dexter provided the ultimate sacrifice, the only way to truly keep Harrison safe where
he can move on.
Bravo Clyde and Michael!
Well done!
So what did you think of the Dexter New Blood finale?
Please share your thoughts in the comment section.
Thanks for watching everyone, I hope you enjoyed, and have a wonderful night.
Damn it Dexter!
There are consequences to everything you do in life.
Lose control, become powerless, and it’s over.
Did you hear that?
30 bags.
Do you know what that means?
It means there might be a new mass murderer out there way worse than the Ice Truck Killer.
Your instincts were dead on.
They’re always dead on when it comes to killers, why is that?
I’ll just go get that report.
I’m watching you.
You performed blood work that directly led to Rodrigo walking free.
I ask myself how the hell did that happen?
The Bay Harbor Butcher took blood slides from his victims.
Dexter is a blood spatter analyst.
And Doakes always thought there was something off about Dexter.
You’re connected to this.
I don’t know how, but I’m going to find out and some of what I find is gonna stick
to yo’ ass.
First Kurt is creepy, and now Jim.
If he wasn’t your boyfriend, I would totally do a deep dive.
I was just looking more closely at the dates of James’s Special Forces missions and–we
have a positive idea on the body.
And there may be an additional date which puts him out of the country.
The burn victim is Sergeant Doakes.
He says Doakes was out of the country doing some classified shit when some of the BHB
killings took place.
Why is Dexter in handcuffs?
I have proof he’s the Bay Harbor Butcher.
Doakes is the Bay Harbor Butcher, have you lost your mind?
It’s all over the station.
You tried to frame Dexter.
You know that’s not true.
Do I?
Jesus f’ing Christ, you’re The Bay Harbor Butcher.
I really hate that name.
I always knew there was something with you.
But this shit?
What can I say, you were right about me.
You wanna make a change Morgan, now’s the time.
All you gotta do is let me out of here.
It’s over man.
It is over when I say it is!
What if Doakes was onto him?
Jesus, what if Dexter is the real Bay Harbor Butcher?
What if he isn’t?
End it now.
Take responsibility for who you are, man.
We’ll go to the station together, I’ll help you.
We found definitive proof in that boathouse that Doakes was the Bay Harbor Butcher, and
that despite me advising you to cease and desist, you continued on this reckless course.
Are you The Bay Harbor Butcher?
This isn’t the place to talk about this.
Deb?
He did this.
He’s The Bay Harbor Butcher.
He has to be.
You’re a good cop.
You’re a good person.
You’re not like him.
Put him down!
Dex?
Turn around, on your knees, hands on your head.
You’re taking this whole role playing thing to the next level.
Shut the fuck up and do what I say!
Oh wait, your boyfriend, Jim.
He said he needed it for his goat.
Vincent van Goat, that’s a cute name.
Would my Mom still be alive if it weren't for you?
Would Aunt Deb still be alive?
Then we discovered the link.
They had all committed crimes they had gotten away with.
The Bay Harbor Butcher could still be out there, still feeling all butchery.
Nothing is inevitable.
It’s already over, it’s already over.
Prison might have been better in the long run.
You think PRISON would be better?
Whose side are you on?
How many times have you done this?
A lot.
How many?
In the hundreds.
That means you’ve saved like thousands of innocent people.
That’s right.
It’s your wet dream in there.
OK.
You’re going in first, alone.
Get a sense of what we’re dealing with and give me a report.
I live by my father’s law.
No, Morgan!
Morgan!
Don’t do this!
What’s wrong, are you OK?
Just stay away.
Please, stay away.
Stay away.
Just stay away from me.
Are you alright?
Yeah, I’m OK.
Uhm I’m gonna go out and get some air like you said.
Next to his own severed head, a head that at this time has no name.
I know his name.
Is there any progress on putting up that stop sign over by Lewis’s package store?
That’s an accident waiting to happen.
I love you too.
I want you to remember that every single day until I see you again.
Daddy loves you.
How about we go get some ice cream, yeah?
OK.
Come on.
He’s a lumberjack and he’s OK, he sleeps all night and he works all day.
Dexter Morgan is alive.
And he’s sitting in my jail cell.
Open your eyes and look at what you’ve done!
And that’s how I know that you Dexter Morgan are the Bay Harbor Butcher.
I’m sorry for everything I’ve done to you.
Don’t be a hero Logan.
I just need to get out and see my son.
I’ve never really felt love, real love, until now.
Surprise, Motherf**ker!
I’m the Bay Harbor Butcher