Showtime’s series about a serial killer with ethics (or, at the very least, a moderately defendable code) was a hit with fans when it first premiered back in 2006, and Dexter ran for eight seasons while keeping a captive audience pretty much the whole time. However, the final season and its table-spinning conclusion went down in history as one of the worst ways to end a series, like, ever. Fans absolutely hated the send-off Dexter gave himself, but there may be a redemption on the way via the limited series revival Dexter: New Blood, which just premiered on Showtime. While critics may be having mixed feelings about the earliest episodes, showrunner Clyde Phillips is already building up pre-hype for the revival's ending.
A disappointing ending hasn’t stopped fans from recognizing the genius that (occasionally) was Dexter, but in an interview with TV Line, Dexter: New Blood writer and showrunner Clyde Phillips says he believes the new season's ending to be the best thing he has ever written. Here it is in Phillips’ own words:
It’s going to be surprising, inevitable and it’s going to blow up the Internet. It is, I personally think, the best thing I’ve written. Our director Marcos Siega, who could not be more experienced and a better friend of the show, thinks it’s the best thing he’s ever directed. I haven’t seen it yet, by the way. I only saw it get shot. We’re editing Episodes 7 and 8 right now, so I haven’t seen 10 yet. I can’t wait, to tell you the truth.
That is saying a whole lot when it comes to Dexter's past. Before leaving the show after Season 4, Clyde Phillips penned either the first or second episode for each of the first four seasons. Not to mention all of the other TV projects he's written for, from Parker Lewis Can't Lose to Suddenly Susan to Nurse Jackie, among others. So even though it's about his own work, it's still wildly high praise, and puts some major hype and anticipation on the upcoming Dexter: New Blood episodes.
What’s more is that Clyde Phillips is giving just as much praise to the finale's director Marcos Siega. Siega has directed some dark and thrilling projects himself, including episodes from the series You, The Following, and Kaley Cuoco’s The Flight Attendant. While the promise of something that has excited Siega and Clyde Phillips so much has my heart beating loud enough to rival Dexter Morgan’s when he’s stalking his prey, I can’t help but be wary, seeing as they have yet to bring the ending to completion.
Clyde Phillips is hyping up Dexter: New Blood's ending before the episode has even wrapped up in the editing room, which means things could go completely haywire between now and when the episode airs. But considering Phillips and Marcos Siega have been writing and directing for 2 decades, it may be worth trusting the showrunner's words on this one. There is also the fact that they are certainly under some major pressure to overcome that widely hated ending Dexter left fans with, even if they weren't the ones who crafted it. But if they fail to deliver a finale in the revival that doesn’t “blow up the internet,” fans aren’t going to let it go very easily.
It sounds like we can confidently get hyped up for a killer revival, which will consist of 10 episodes. If you haven’t already, you can watch the first episode of Dexter: New Blood on Showtime, or on Hulu with the Showtime add-on. New episodes release on the premiere cable channel every Sunday night at 9:00 p.m. ET.
