Dexter recap: What you need to know before New Blood

By Abby Robinson

Published: Tuesday, 09 November 2021 at 12:00 am

By: Eammon Jacobs

The Bay Harbor Butcher is no more. Dexter: New Blood picks up a decade after the titular killer left Miami in the divisive season 8 finale, with Dexter (Michael C Hall) settling down in the sleepy town of Iron Lake, New York under an alias: Jim Lindsay. Gone are the days of plastic sheets and slides of blood; hello line-dancing and date night. 

But Iron Lake isn’t as sheltered as Dexter initially thinks, and he soon learns a wealth of secrets about some of the town’s wealthier residents. It’s interesting that no matter where he goes, he always manages to sniff out another murderer – the man is practically a bloodhound, but we’d expect nothing less from a former blood-spatter analyst.

It’s not the first time Dexter has seemingly found happiness, but his violent escapades always put a stop to him enjoying a peaceful existence in the past. With New Blood on the way, let’s take a look at the most devastating deaths in Dexter’s life, as well as exploring how he navigated his way to a new life. 

How did Rita die in Dexter?

"Rita
© 2007 Showtime Networks, Inc.

Oh Rita, she deserved better. Back in season 4, Dexter crossed paths with Arthur Mitchell (John Lithgow) AKA the Trinity Killer. He’d managed to evade the authorities for 30 years and had killed nearly 300 victims by the time Dexter put an end to him. The FBI thought his kill cycles included three victims, but Dexter discovered that Arthur kicked off his sprees with a secret fourth victim. 

Dexter initially thought he could learn something from Arthur, who seemed to balance being a serial killer with having a family life. Unfortunately, Arthur’s violent tendencies mean his family are also subject to his cruelty – he even breaks his son’s (Brando Eaton) little finger for breaking the car’s windshield. Arthur eventually figures out who Dexter is, and unbeknownst to the titular killer targets Rita while she’s home alone. 

Arthur kills Rita in the same method that his sister died, by slicing her femoral artery in the bath so that she bleeds out. Dexter only finds out what happened to her after he kills Arthur, coming home to find Rita in the bath while Harrison sits crying in a pool of blood. It’s a parallel to Dexter’s own bloody beginnings as a child when he was left with his mother’s dismembered body in a shipping container. The cycle of violence continues… 

How did Deb die in Dexter?

"Deb
© 2013 Showtime Networks Inc.

Dexter might deal with a killer instinct in the Showtime series, but Debra Morgan struggles with her fair share of inner demons during the initial eight seasons too. In Season 8, she’s crippled by the guilt of killing Maria LaGuerta to save Dexter, and has resigned from her high-ranking job as a Lieutenant. But it seemed like she was on the road to recovery, and redemption, when she started going to therapy with Doctor Vogel (Charlotte Rampling).

She even helped Dexter apprehend Season 8’s serial killer, Oliver Saxon AKA The Brain Surgeon at an abandoned hospital. The dynamic duo tie Saxon up, but the killer manages to get free when US Marshal Max Clayton frees him, thinking he’s a victim. He doesn’t live long enough to regret his decision because Saxon quickly kills the Marshal, and steals his gun before waiting for Debra to walk into the room. He shoots her in the stomach, and although it looks pretty dire – the season finale lulls audiences into a false sense of security.

The doctors tell Dexter that she’s going to pull through, and the surgery to save her wasn’t too risky. The siblings have a heart-to-heart and they reminisce about their childhood, with Deb thanking him for keeping her safe as a kid. This was a pseudo-goodbye between the two, because when Dex returns to the hospital Quinn (Desmond Harrington) tearfully tells him that Debra has fallen into a vegetative state because of a blood clot that formed during surgery.

Realizing that his sister will never have a normal life again, Dexter tells her he loves her before he makes the heartbreaking decision to turn off the life-support. It’s an unceremonious end for the fan-favourite Lieutenant. 

What happened to Saxon in Dexter?

"Saxon,
© 2013 Showtime Networks Inc.

Oliver Saxon is the main villain in Season 8, and he’s shown to be a truly twisted individual who doesn’t even think twice about killing his own mother. But after he shoots Deb – Dexter has to figure out a way of killing him that doesn’t involve bringing more attention to himself. The blood spatter analyst already struggles with keeping Hannah McKay (Yvonne Strahovski) away from the authorities so they can escape Miami with Dexter’s son Harrison – he doesn’t need to out himself as a serial killer in the process. 

Luckily Saxon’s own psychopathic rage gets the better of him, as he goes to the hospital looking to finish Debra off but the police are waiting for him and he’s hauled into custody. It’s here where Dexter gets his revenge on Saxon for causing Deb’s death. He goads the killer into stabbing him with a pen he leaves on the table, and stabs him in the neck during their brief scuffle. Because Saxon is an unhinged serial killer who literally scoops bits of his victims’ brains out, the police don’t charge Dexter with murder because it looks like self-defence. 

Of course, that’s exactly what Dex wanted it to look like. 

How did Dexter fake his death?
"Dexter:
Showtime

After killing Oliver Saxon, Dexter struggles to find a way out of Miami for himself, Hannah, and Harrison. Hurricane Laura is causing havoc for the city, so the airport and the docks are all locked down to keep civilians safe. He persuades Hannah to take Harrison on a bus and head to Jacksonville where they can fly to Buenos Aires – it’s a little strange that he’s resigned to leaving his son with his new girlfriend but to be fair he’s dealing with an incomparable loss.

After switching off Deb’s life support, he sneaks her body out of the hospital onto his boat as he decides to drop her body out at sea. Deb was always something of a tortured soul, so at least she’s at peace. The killer with a conscience then sails his boat right into the hurricane, and the wreckage is found days later – and the world thinks Dexter Morgan is dead. 

But the final moments of the series confirm that he actually escaped, and is living in Oregon as a lumberjack. It’s not clear whether he planned to die in the hurricane and just happened to survive, or if he intended to leave Miami behind. When Dexter: New Blood picks up, he hasn’t killed anyone in a long time, so the old Dexter is metaphorically dead at the very least.

What happened to Harrison in Dexter?

"Harrison,
© 2013 Showtime Networks Inc.

Harrison is one of the only characters who gets something of a happy ending in Dexter season 8, with him and Hannah escaping to Jacksonville by the end of the finale. The last time we see the pair they’re in Buenos Aires, with Hannah reading about Dexter’s “death”. It’ll be interesting to see what his life in Argentina is like when the new series starts. He didn’t grow up with Dexter for a dad, but let’s not forget that Hannah is a deadly serial killer in her own right. Thankfully, she has a conscience, but she’s not exactly a good person. 

Harrison is (mostly) shown as a relatively happy child in the series, and doesn’t display any inner demons like his dad’s Dark Passenger. But who knows how he’ll change and grow as a teenager? Perhaps Dexter will have a new serial killer protégé on his hands in New Blood.

Read more about Dexter: New Blood:

Dexter: New Blood is available to watch in the UK on Sky Atlantic and streaming service NOW. Visit our Drama hub for more news and features, or find something to watch with our TV Guide.