It has been seven years since we saw our favorite blood spatter expert on the screen. Now it’s time for Dexter and his dark passenger to return from their hiatus. One of the many questions we have is, “Where has he been?”
When Dexter jumped out of the books and found his home on Showtime in 2006 it took the viewers by storm as well as critics. With eight seasons and ninety six episodes under the shows belt, it felt like the show had ended. But in October 2020 it was announced that Dexter would return for a ten episode limited series release and with Michael C. Hall coming back to take on the roll of the serial killer/father we all love.
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So why return now? Why return at all? It’s simple really: the story is far from over. Even though the show drifted away from the novels written by Jeff Lindsey after season one, we still have so much more to explore. Let’s recap for a minute. Spoilers ahead for those that have not watched Dextr season 8.
How does the Dexter series finale tie into the revival?
When it was announced that season eight would be the series finale, many fans were wondering where the killer was going to go? Now a father on the run and a sister who knows his secret reluctantly helping him out, Dexter’s world was closing in around him. So it made sense that 2.9 million people tuned in to see if he was going to get caught.
In the final episode, Remember the Monsters, Dexter had the law and a massive hurricane heading his way. His decision to leave the country with his new found girlfriend Hannah McKay (also a killer) as well as his son Harrison looked like the only option. So fleeing to Argentina was probably the smartest choice he has made in a long time. However Debra being shot by a serial killer, Miami PD on his trail and Hurricane Laura grounding flights, Dexter make his choice to head into the sea on his infamous boat one last time. However this time the only body hitting the ocean floor was his. As the episode came winning down, Dexter become shipwrecked as a major wave crashed down on him.
In the following scene we see Harrison (Dexter’s son) and Hannah sitting at a café in sunny Argentina. Hannah is reading a newspaper as she find out about her boyfriends death. But wait there’s more! Just before we head to the credits we see a lumberjack in Oregon coming home to his trailer after a hard days work. As he sits on the table the camera pans up and reveals Dexter sporting his new beard and very much alive.
Of course this is the shortened version and I highly suggest you watch the series over for more details that you might have forgotten. So now the questions begin? How did he survive? How long has it been? Why Oregon? With only ten episodes (so far) being released we hope to have some of these questions answered before it ends. Here is what we do know as of now.
Which original Dexter cast members will return?
This new season will bring back writer Clyde Phillips who was part of the award winning team on Seasons Two-Four. By awards we mean 18 Emmy Nominations and seven trophies. Other than that, it is a mystery on who and if any of the previous cast members will return for this new season, though many have teased their return via social media. Although much like Harry coming in and out of Dexter’s life, we could see the same thing happen with Debra. Not everyone stays dead or gone from Dexter’s life as previous seasons have shown.
New Dexter cast members
What we do know is that a majority of the cast will be new faces coming into the world of Dexter and all his blood soaked ways.
The main antagonist has been revealed and is going to be played by actor Clancy Brown. Brown has been in such movies as Thor: Ragnarok, the voice of Mr. Krabs on SpongeBob SquarePants, The Shawshank Redemption and many more. He will be playing a character by the name of Kurt Caldwell who is the unofficial mayor of the small town Iron Lake. Caldwell started off driving big rigs but now owns a fleet of trucks and a truck stop. He is well liked in the town and respected. However, if you cross him, things happen. That is about as much detail on him as we have been given.
Another new character that is being introduced is played by Julia Jones. Her character, Angela Bishop is the first Native American police chief in the town. Julia Jones is most famous for her role in The Twilight Saga, Westworld, and The Mandalorian. Johnny Sequoyah will play Bishop’s daughter.
Recently, we just found out that Jaime Chung of Lovecraft Country will be playing a true-crime podcaster named Molly. Also Oscar Wahlberg of Slender Man will play Iron Lake high school wrestling captain Zach.
Where does the Dexter revival take place?
Most of Dexter’s life has taken place in Miami, Florida and when we last saw Dexter, he was in the ocean driving his boat into Hurricane Laura. However, the very last scene show us that he has left Miami and is sporting a new beard to go with his lumberjack job in Oregon. One can assume that the story will pick up with Dexter living a very isolated life as lumberjack in the same town, which we only can assume is Iron Lake. However, there are rumors of the story taking him to a place that is somewhere familiar to our killer. Miami? Maybe he will track down his son in Argentina? Those details seem pretty locked up tight and looks we are going to have to wait until a full trailer arrives from Showtime for any insight or answers.
Why did a Dexter revival take so long?
When the show ended in 2013, many fans were hoping to see a revival of some sorts. The ending of show left many viewers disappointed and let down. The following year, Showtime expressed an interest in bringing back the show for another round but Hall showed zero interest and said no. Not only did he say no the first time but several more times after that. Finally he said if the story was good and made sense he would consider it.
Fast forward to 2020 and Hall had a different answer. When Showtime reached to Hall about bringing the show back for a limited series and that Phillips would be part of it, Hall said yes. After a few days of discussion between Hall and Phillips in New York, the synopsis of the season was on paper and the two were on the same page.
Let’s not forget that Michael C. Hall was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma during season four. At the time he was thirty-eight years old. Once the season wrapped up he began his treatment. He also tried to keep his diagnosis a secret from the public but several complications forced him to change his mind. In 2010, he showed up to the Golden Globes wearing a beanie when he accepted his award and received a standing ovation. By April he had beaten cancer and was feeling very excited about his future being back on the show. The level of exhaustion from the show and his health had to have played a part in the choice he made originally to pass on the new season until now.
In 2008 Hall and Jennifer Carpenter (Deborah Morgan) eloped on New Year’s Eve. Two years later they divorced but continued to work together on the show. Regardless of the professionalism these two have for the business and each other, it had to be a little difficult working so close together and especially in the roles each one had.
With so much time passing the between the final episode and the new season, we have a lot of questions that hopefully will be answered. Here are a few that come to mind.
How did Dexter survive the hurricane?
We know that in movies and TV anything can happen and anyone can survive. But driving a boat into the middle of a hurricane sure seems like a death wish to us. So how did Dexter survive? We know he was an expert seaman or at least pretty good. Not to mention he is a survivalist or has an enormous amount of luck. So being able to survive in a stormy sea could happen and frankly he has been in worse situations over the years. But how did he survive? And how did his body “float” to Oregon? No shark attacks? No other boats see him floating in the water? Did he get on a plane? Drive? Maybe someone else helped him out? But who?
Is Dexter’s son Harrison in the Dexter revival?
When Harrison and Hannah McKay escape Miami and head to their new life in Argentina, Harrison is between four and six years old. He was four when they left Miami (we think) and we can only assume that the scene is in the not too distant future based off the headlines. With the new story taking place ten years after those events, would Harrison want to know more about his father? What about his birth mother Rita? Does he know that his Aunt Deb is dead? Or better yet will Dexter’s love for his son send him down to Argentina to look for him and possibly reconnect? Are they even living there anymore or did they go elsewhere? Maybe back to the states or Miami? Unlikely they went back but you never know.
How does Dexter connect to the Miami P.D.?
Dexter has had his run ins with the law and with his fellow colleagues over the years: Maria LaGuerta, Debra Morgan, James Doakes and Quinn just to name a few. But what about the rest of Miami Police? His friends and partners like Angel Batista and the hard to forget famous Vincent “Vince” Masuoka? Are they buying the fact that he is dead? What about all the bodies he has gotten rid of over the years? Not to mention Deb? She is floating around like the rest of his victims, will she wash up? Being on the police force surely somebody has to be curious about a lot of these things. Maybe Vincent will find something else about Dexter that doesn’t sit very well. What about the new police in Iron Lake? Will they make a connection to something all the way in Miami?
We could go on and on with the questions but the truth is we are going to have to wait until the new season debuts on Showtime somewhere between October-December 2021. The date has been changed a few times so for now that is all we have to go on.
One thing is for sure, someone from Dexter’s past has to come back into his current life. With as many connections he has in Miami and his history as a married man with step children to deal with, you can’t just disappear off the grid. Or at least not for long, beard or not. Sure it might have worked for Superman but Dexter? I don’t know.
Another wild card is Rita’s children Astor and Cody. If you remember Dexter had some issues with Astor in the past shortly after Rita was killed. It only makes sense that she could come back or find something out about him, Deb and her brother Harrison. Maybe she goes looking for her brother? The possibilities are endless and I wouldn’t rule these kids out just yet.
If Dexter is confronted with his past, will he have to kill someone again that doesn’t meet Harry’s code? Or will someone finally end the long ride that Dexter and his dark passenger have been on? It seems fitting that Dexter falls victim to a real death, I mean a killer riding off into the sunset or living his older years in a trailer surrounded by other lumberjacks doesn’t seem very likely. What do you think will happen to Dexter? Are you looking forward to the new season? And will it truly end the way the series should have? Leave us your comments and stay tuned for updates.
What is the Dexter revival release date?
Showtime has officially announced that the Dexter revival will premiere in the fall of 2021. With several Dexter teasers being released over the last few months, one can tell that production has completed on the 10-part limited series. Not much longer until America’s favorite serial killer is back in our homes.
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