Summary
The upcomingDexter: Resurrectionseries will have a golden opportunity to finally stick the landing for the final wrap-up – there’s a pun in there for those in the know – of Dexter Morgan’s story, making up for the last two attempts that were made, which didn’t satisfy fans of the charming, likable serial killer who only kills bad guys.
Well,mostlyonly kills bad guys. Nobody is perfect. A point made time and time again duringthe original series run.
The first series finale was a complete dud for fans, reducing Dexter to an oversimplified caricature of evil and transforming him from blood spatter analyst extraordinaire by day, dark avenger by night, to a lonely, self-exiled lumberjack on the West Coast. When fans heard the show would be resurrected asDexter: New Blood,there was hope that the creative team behind the popular show could fix things and give Dex a proper send-off, only to once again be disappointed by his being shot and allegedly killed by his son, Harrison. No doubt, fans are once again nervous as the date draws nearer forDexter: Resurrection, with many hoping the third time will be the charm.
The good news is this series is supposedly geared toward multiple seasons, giving the writers time to craft a good ending that suits the still-popular anti-hero. In the meantime, here’s what the showrunners need to do to ensure they truly get the ending right this time.
Dexter: ResurrectionHas To Honor Dexter’s Moral Complexity, Not Just His Thirst to Kill
IfDexter: Resurrectionis to truly be a successful conclusion to our titular anti-hero’s story, they need to get back to basics and return to the tension that made the original series interesting and engaging. The tension is between the “Code of Harry” and Dexter’s insatiable lust for shedding blood.
The world’s favorite serial killer is at his best, storytelling-wise, when he’s not simply offing bad guys, which most fans of the series support in a twisted way. It’s when he wrestles with whether any moral code can truly justify the darkness that dwells within him.
Fanswaiting apprehensively forDexter: Resurrectiondo not want to see the ending be full of spectacle, but a quiet sort of psychological reckoning that provides them with catharsis.
Dexter: ResurrectionMust Deliver Consequences That Feel Earned And Deserved
One of the most frustrating aspects of the series – original andNew Blood– for fans was how Dexter constantly seemed to escape any of the consequences of his actions. Yeah, he might have been a dark avenger taking out the so-called “trash,” but it wasn’t because of some sense of morality or justice. He’s a serial killer with an undeniable impulse to kill.
If not for the “Code of Harry,” Dexter would have murdered innocent people. No matter what, he would be a killer. He takes away people’s lives, all based on his subjective sense of right and wrong, denying them the right to due process. He, like thosehe murders, is a monster, something he often readily admits.
ForDexter: Resurrection, a story must be set up at some point where the Bay Harbor Butcher finally has his day in court. He must face the justice system, have his mask removed publicly, and see society rejecting him as no better than those he chopped up and buried at sea.
Fans who have long been frustrated by Dexter deluding himself into thinking he’s a good guy, meanwhile, his actions destroy the lives of all those connected to him, deserve a moral payoff after the decades-long tightrope he’s walked between hero and monster.
Dexter: ResurrectionShould Expand Harrison’s Story, Then Resolve It — Don’t Repeat The Cycle
Another dropped ball fromNew BloodthatDexter: Resurrectionwill have to pick up and make right involves the introduction of the grown-up version of Dexter’s son, Harrison, a child born in blood just like his father. Harrison was introduced as the thematic “heir” to the darkness of Dexter. However, the series left his future ambiguous, which is a risky move considering they didn’t have a follow-up plan.
Resurrectionmust commit to the creation of an arc for Harrison that will either show him successfully breaking free from the darkness of his dear dad, or, in some form that’s new and fresh, repeating it, making it the ultimate pain and suffering forDexter, who wanted more for his son.
The second story idea is most intriguing. Dexter always lamented and mourned his being created by the tragic and horrifying murder of his mother. To see Harrison become a monster like him would be devastating for him psychologically, making him no better than those who killed his mom and created his dark passenger. This is the kind of moral punishment fans want to see.
Finally, they need to somehow conclude Harrison’s story and not use it to set up another spin-off. Just end it. Call it a day. Let it lie.
Dexter: Resurrection Should Be The End Of The Franchise And Provide Closure The Fandom Needs
After years of missteps and near-misses, Dexter Morgan has earned a final chapter that pays homage to both his darkness and complexity, both of which have made him a pop culture icon who will stand the test of time. IfDexter: Resurrectioncan embrace the moral ambiguity that exists in the soul of the Bay Harbor Butcher’s story, deliver serious consequences that feel as though they were inevitable from the start, and givesome heft to Harrison’s story, it will be able to provide the closure fans have been craving ever since the original series ended.
Dexter’s ending isn’t about giving him a good death, but instilling his legacy with meaning. For a franchise that has been built on blood, justice, and blurred lines, this is the only kind of ending that will satisfy. CanDexter: Resurrectionactually stick the landing?
