Dexter was a series that introduced and developed a very interesting character. Certainly not a "me too" show as it felt totally original. Dexter was a fresh anti-villain that challenged the viewer to like a very flawed man. It succeeded well with insidious criminals that Dexter's code took care of. The show may have overstayed it's freshness somewhat in the latter seasons admittedly but it really was for a lot of us in for a penny, in for a pound. It kept this viewer watching more and more because of Dexter's world constantly being threatened to come down. At first the ending felt wrong as a cheap out, but I felt the writers had taken the characters as far as could be expected and opting for the closure taken made more sense.
So, here we have a welcome chance to have something more satisfying. Dexter survived his suspected demise in the hurricane allowing him to re-invent himself. This is a good prospect. Criminals on the run historically have done this and Dexter is much more clever than most. I must say I've enjoyed the New Blood series even in it's slower moments. I missed the array of likable and not so likable supporting characters. I felt the freshness of the wholly new surroundings were a good move too. What was missing when things turned to dark was noticeable. The main villain wasn't great and the lesser ones were boring. What was played out was Dexter wrestling with his urges practically arguing with Deb's ghostly visits. This wasn't the self-assured vigilante that Dexter always was. It was a weak Dexter wrestling with everything brought to a head by the sudden appearance of his estranged son. Believing his son was just like him made Dexter different, confused and weak. You either accept this or you don't. It set the stage for his total destruction which this series finalized. Not the ending many of us would wish for yet it was becoming inevitable. Personally I wanted this to be more of the old Dexter in a different setting so I can say that while I eagerly watched I was prepared for the final scene which was somewhat disappointing. If there is more to the story I fear the son simply can't carry the water.
