Dexter: New Blood debate: Does Dexter Morgan have to die?

Many years ago, original Dexter showrunner Clyde Phillips noted that had he stayed on board until the series’ end, his vision was to kill Dexter off. He had a number of reasons for it, but there was a way to make it reflective of everyone the title character killed over the years — in that way, it could be a mirror of what Dexter did to many of his victims prior to twisting the metaphorical knife.

Now, Dexter is back with Dexter: New Blood, years after the show’s original ending (without Phillips) faltered and was critically panned. Clyde is also back in the saddle as executive producer. Since this is being billed as a limited series, is it therefore wrong to assume that Dexter could die this time around? It’s at least something worth wondering at the moment.

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One of the biggest challenges with killing Dexter off at this point should be simple: You can’t bring him back again. That may be one of the reasons why he didn’t die during season 8; early on that season, there was chatter about the show coming back for another year. If you’re going to take the character out, you have to be 100% sure that you have no other plans. Is it a fitting end for a guy who murdered so many people over the years? Sure, but there’s another debate about handling it properly. Phillips may not buy into the idea of his original ending anymore and if you are to kill Dexter off, you better make sure it is really memorable and will generate some conversation. Otherwise, what is the point? A boring death for Dexter would mean another flat ending and at that point, there would be no way to redeem it.

Ultimately, we’ll see just what is planned starting on November 7, when New Blood formally premieres.

What do you think could be coming moving into Dexter: New Blood?

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