The finale of Dexter way back in 2013 was a disappointing end to a great show. The last episode was widely criticized as sloppy, overly sentimental and for ignoring much of the character development that came before. The last time we saw Michael C. Hall’s titular protagonist he had decided to become a lumberjack, apparently putting his old life behind him and settling for anonymity. But you can’t keep a good killer down.
In October 2020, Showtime announced that Dexter was returning for a ten-episode ninth season. Fans rejoiced, hopeful they’d finally get a worthy conclusion to the story. And while that might still happen, Hall has teased that Dexter‘s tale may not necessarily end here. In an interview with NME, he was asked whether this is the final season and said:
“I’m reluctant to say ‘definitely’, you know? What’s plain now is that there’s 10 new episodes.”
We don’t know much about the revival just yet, though one key piece of info is that we’ll find Dexter living alone in upstate New York. Over the previous eight seasons, he learned the hard way about the risks of someone like him forming personal connections, so it may take some serious convincing to reunite with his surviving old friends and make new acquaintances.
Hall went on to comment on how the intervening years may have changed Dexter, saying:
“I’m looking forward to getting back into Dexter’s shoes. I don’t really know what to expect, as I’ve never returned to a job after so much time. Having Dexter in a completely different context, we’ll see how that feels. It’s been interesting to figure out how to do that and I thought it was time to find out what the hell happened to him.”
And as for why now is the time to return to the show, the actor said:
“I just needed the persuasion of time passing, so I could [get] some distance away from that part and have more possibilities for him. Really, it was about being presented with a story I felt was worth telling. There had been some other proposals and possibilities for Dexter, other roads we started down, but this was the first one that was worth continuing on.”
Other key information is that The Mandalorian stars Clancy Brown and Julia Jones are joining the cast, six of the episodes will be directed by Marcos Siega (who did some of the original run’s best outings) and that it’s being described as a “long, ten-hour movie.” That’s all we know right now, but you can expect it to air on Showtime in fall 2021.
Until this was unveiled, I hadn’t realized how much I missed Dexter, but I’m certainly glad that the series is getting a chance to wash away the taste of that awful ending.
Published: Mar 3, 2021 01:19 pm