Whether you hate the fact that the show suddenly decided to kill off Debra or have our beloved Dexter end up in the forest as a lumberjack, we can all agree that the finale lacked the impact that we all expected. Just as Game of Thrones decided to kill off the Night King in a single episode, and How I Met Your Mother revived an old flame with the help of a blue french horn, Dexter has solidified itself as one of the worst finales of all time.
The reboot comes at a great time for Michael C. Hall, reviving his presence on the TV screen in the recent English-drama Safe.
So you can imagine how conflicted I felt when I first stumbled on Twitter and saw that Dexter was being reprised, being teased with “Surprise Motherfucker: He’s Back”.
If they manage to somehow mould that twisted finale into a positive, fans may be pleasantly surprised
Showtime may have put themselves into a corner here, and time will only tell if this gamble will pay off. If they manage to somehow mould that twisted finale into a positive, perhaps re-introducing Dexter to Miami and ditching the lumberjack lifestyle, then fans may be pleasantly surprised.
The whole situation begs one question: Do shows with bad endings deserve a second chance? It really is a tricky one…
I have two main responses to this question. Initially, I’d think “No way, if they managed to mess it up so bad last time I can only imagine how bad they’ll screw it up the second time around.” However, another part of me is wanting to be proven wrong, as if I’m poking these giant TV companies with a stick saying “Go on, give it another go.”
I'm afraid it may suffer from Breaking Bad syndrome: Dexter is going to die
Either way, I think we can all agree that some things are best left to be forgotten. Whenever I look back at some of my favourite shows that unfortunately came to an end, I think back to the homage ‘Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened’. Unfortunately, my tears at the end of Dexter weren’t so much of sadness than they were anger. I wanted to think back to the glory days that were seasons 1&2, and then repress season 8 into the back of my mind (alongside that damn blue french horn).
If the upcoming season starts off in a positive way for Dexter, or at least his version of positive which involves murdering (mostly) criminals, then I’m afraid it may suffer from Breaking Bad syndrome: Dexter is going to die.
I say this because one of the main reasons Breaking Bad couldn’t end positively for Heisenberg was that he was truly a horrible person. There’s no way the show could reflect on the drug dealing business with rose-tinted glasses, and so the natural trajectory of the show led to a Mr Walter White sadly biting the bullet.
Unfortunately, I think Dexter’s time may be drawing thin, and this is one of the issues with reviving TV shows from the dead. Whilst some may be happy with Dexter’s new life, others will be fearful that, if a reboot is in motion, he may end up six feet under. Just as Walter returned from retirement and subsequently died, I fear Dexter may do the same.
I guess all we can do is sit back, try to relax, and wait to see what Showtime has to offer, with the new season of Dexter being released late 2021.
