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<i> Dexter: New Blood </i> — Spoiler Free Advance Review. He’s Back!

Season 9, Episode 1

Air Date: Sunday, November 7, 2021, on Showtime

Rating: ★★★★★

“ I might still be a monster. “ – Dexter Morgan

Picking up 10 years after faking his death, Dexter: New Blood finds Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall) living under the alias of Jim Lindsay in the fictional small town of Iron Lake, New York. As a respected, well-liked member of the community, Jim spends his time working at the local hunting store. He’s even dating Angela Bishop (Julia Jones), the Chief of Police. The only question is how long will Dexter’s good fortunes last?

Despite the haunting torment from the spirit of his deceased sister Debra Morgan (Jennifer Carpenter), Dexter has been able to keep his demons in check, until now. Things begin to unravel after an encounter with local spoiled rich boy Matt Caldwell (Steve Robertson). Making matters worse for Dexter is the unexpected visit from his son Harrison (Jack Alcott).

Fans of the series shouldn’t be surprised to see Carpenter’s return to the series despite her demise during the original series finale. While bringing a character back from the dead might prove troublesome for some shows, her return here makes perfect sense. Dialogue between Carpenter and Hall is some of my favorite of the new series;I could listen to them bicker back and forth for hours.

For years, fans have wondered what Dexter has been up to in the past decade. Has he been killing or behaving himself? Is he in isolation or a member of some community? I can only imagine the debates that took place in the writers’ room as they decided which direction to take Dexter. With endless possibilities, it’s a good bet some will be disappointed.

Not only were the writers faced with catching fans up, but they also needed to lay out the groundwork for the series to go forward. Reuniting Dexter and Harrison plays an essential role in the storytelling as their conversations help fill in the gaps of the last few years for both Harrison and the audience. I enjoyed the chemistry between the two as father and son try to figure each other out and make up for the lost time. Unfortunately, these talks can only do so much.

With only 10 episodes this season, compared to the usual 12 of the previous eight seasons, there are times the writers appear to go one direction only to have it quickly resolved. Storylines that could have used another episode or two to breathe are cut short. This expedited resolution stands out in one episode in particular and cheapened the conflict of the entire subplot for me.

Having screened the first four episodes, I will say the writers do an admirable job introducing the audience to Dexter’s world. The sandy beaches of Miami have been replaced with the frozen lakes of wintery New York. While these episodes focus on the father and son reunion there’s a sense of a greater threat looming just over the snowbank. My hope is some of the cutting of corners and expedited resolutions in the early episodes were done to ensure whatever is on the horizon is told properly.

While it’s fun to wonder what has happened to Dexter these last few years it’s great to finally have some answers. With much of the focus being on Dexter’s return, some of the secondary characters get lost in the background. It took a couple of episodes before I got to know the rest of the cast, including Matt’s father Kurt Caldwell (Clancy Brown), and Iron Lake Police SergeantLogan (Alano Miller). 

Not everyone will be pleased with the direction the series takes yet most will be happy to have the series back. Dexter: New Blood gives the audience a very different Dexter, yet it fits a natural progression of the character and show. Despite his return, the series still leaves many questions unanswered. Hopefully, there will be more seasons to come that will fill in these blanks.

Tweet me @staffaroadtrip or leave a comment below to let me know what you think about the Dexter: New Blood premiere. 

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Greg Staffa

I provide testosterone to the site. You won’t be reading about how nice a actress looks in a dress or how much of a hunk Matt Bomer is in my reviews. I describe colors using words like brown, not taupe. My twitter name is @staffaroadtrip because I love road trips and have done two different 48-state road trips since 2008. My favorite show is White Collar.

Greg Staffa

I provide testosterone to the site. You won’t be reading about how nice a actress looks in a dress or how much of a hunk Matt Bomer is in my reviews. I describe colors using words like brown, not taupe. My twitter name is @staffaroadtrip because I love road trips and have done two different 48-state road trips since 2008. My favorite show is White Collar.