The ending of the original Dexter series was a messy disappointment. The final image of Dexter as a lumberjack was such a letdown. This sour note made it hard to want to revisit the series even though the first three seasons were stellar. When the rumor started that Showtime was reviving Dexter, it didn’t seem that great of a move. Even when the rumor proved true, there was no desire to set the new DVR to grab episodes of Dexter: New Blood. When the Blu-ray boxset arrived in the mail, I wasn’t too pumped up. I pressed play on the first episode and nearly 10 hours later, I had serially watched the entire limited series. Dexter: New Blood is addictive.
Dexter Morgan (Six Feet Under‘s Michael C. Hall) is still hiding away in the frozen North. Although he’s no longer a lumberjack. He’s using a fake identity to live a simple life in the small town of Iron Lake in upstate New York. He works at a local sporting goods store that does a great business selling hunting rifles to the rich folks who come up for the snow season. It’s a nice simple town where they investigate pies being stolen. Dexter’s new identity has made him a nice addition to the community. He’s even dating Police Chief Angela Bishop (Westworld‘s Julia Jones). It’s a quaint life until it isn’t. Dexter gets stuck dealing with a rich entitled jerk. The guy wants a hunting rifle to outdo his friend’s weaponry. Dexter eventually runs into the guy out in the woods and bad things happen. Dexter finds himself back in his old role. The jerk’s father (Highlander‘s Clancy Brown) is loaded and runs the local truck stop. He doesn’t believe that his son ran away after a hunting incident. He pushes Dexter to do his best to keep his cover from being blown. To add to the intensity, Dexter gets a completely unexpected visit from his son Harrison (Jack Alcott) who has been stuck in Florida foster care since the woman who taking care of him had passed away. The teenager is rebellious and might share a family trauma trait with Dexter. Making thing get messier is that fact that an undetected serial killer is also lurking around Iron Lake. The killer has a thing for abducting hitchhiking girls, trapping them in a room until they’re set free and shot with a rifle during their flight.
This is much better than the final season of the original run. Part of it is Clancy Brown bringing both his charm and menace to the screen, He’s the most intimidating character since John Lithgow’s Trinity Killer. They bring back Deb (Jennifer Carpenter) as Dexter’s new conscious since Harry’s not around anymore. Even though the show features a true crime podcaster that feels natural since a character like Dexter would attract a good audience for his deeds. The new episodes tie back to when Dexter had to deal with Harrison as a newborn baby. Now he’s having to cope with a teenager and bond with the kid in their own special way.
Dexter New Blood is a limited series that doesn’t hold back. The show effectively works off the bitter after taste of the original series ending. The ending is intense. They got it right this time.
The Video is 2.35:1 anamorphic. The 1080p transfer brings out the beauty of the snowy locations. The quint Iron Lake is really Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts. The Audio is Dolby True HD 5.1 Surround. You’ll hear crunching footsteps in the snow. The episodes are subtitled.
Why Now? (2:13) has Michael C. Hall excited to answer what happened to Dexter. They brought back the old Florida crew to the cold weather world.
Dissecting Dexter: The New Blood – Deb Is Back (1:58) has Jennifer Carpenter mention that Hall pitched the show to her over coffee in New York City. They discuss how she’s working in her new role.
The Kill Room (1:58) talks about Dexter relapsing into his old ways. It has outtakes of Hall working in the plastic covered space.
All Out On the Table (30:04) is a discussion with cast and crew including a major surprise guest star. Do not watch this before you see all the episodes.
CBS DVD presents Dexter: New Blood. Starring Michael C. Hall, Jack Alcott, Julia Jones, Johnny Sequoyah, Alano Miller, Jennifer Carpenter & Clancy Brown. Boxset Contents: 10 episodes on 4 Blu-ray discs. Release Date: March 22, 2022.
