With the finale episode of Dexter: New Blood in the rearview mirror, Showtime’s new series may be able to move ahead with a second season without its titular protagonist. Showtime has a tremendous opportunity to continue New Blood, even though the eighth season of Dexter is perhaps even more polarising than New Bloods.
New Blood’s first season finale sees Dexter finally face the repercussions of his collective deeds, but there is plenty of substance for the writers to explore outside Dexter’s personal life. In its last episode, the show New Blood sets out a new route for the characters to follow.
Season one ended with an unusual twist when Dexter was shot by his son Harrison, who had known that his father was a serial murderer. “I Should Live in Salt” by The National plays as Harrison drives away from Iron Lake in his father’s truck in the last moments of the season finale. Thanks to Angela, a clean slate and opportunity to move on from Iron Lake are provided to Harrison. She presumably ensures that authorities do not pursue Harrison concerning Dexter’s death.
With Harrison on board, New Blood has two viable options for the future. In light of the season finale’s apparent denial that Harrison shares Dexter’s inclination for cold-blooded murder with him, New Blood may try a daring move by having Harrison reject his father’s lessons and discover a new method to deal with his Dark Passenger. A shift from what Dexter or New Blood is about for so long—namely, serial killings were made in the cause of good—could be a solid decision for Showtime to continue the universe even while making careful not to rehash its footsteps with new faces and names merely.
New Blood might also follow in the footsteps of the first Dexter series by having Dexter’s kid carry on his father’s tradition and become a vigilante killer inside his right. One of the reasons New Blood takes off Dexter may be because it sets up Henry was moving on and finding his place in the community as well as finding a means to get away with some extracurricular killing. Regardless matter how Showtime decides to continue New Blood with Harrison as the lead, there is a wealth of material and storylines to explore.
