AsDexter: Resurrectioncontinues to astound viewers, Michael C. Hall admits to some failures in previous runs. Having begun in 2006, the originalDexterended in 2013 with season 8, before earning the revival showsDexter: New BloodandResurrection. Unfortunately, whilethe franchise is beloved, theDexterendings have been controversial.
In 2013, Dexter’s story seemingly ended with a self-imposed exile, as Dexter elected to become a rural lumberjack.New Bloodsaw him return to his old ways, but he was seemingly killed by his son in a divisive conclusion.Resurrectionsaw a revival, as the name suggests, andconcerns about its own eventual finale are inevitable.
In an interview withScreenRant’s Ash Crossan atSan Diego Comic-Con, Hall confessed that the original ending was not especially satisfying for viewers.He hesitates to even call it “divisive”, given the near-universal disdain for the finale. Check out his quote below, where he describes his own reaction to the controversy:
ScreenRant: Michael, did you feel that coming back into this role? I mean, look, I don’t think it’s any surprise that the finale of the first run was divisive–
Michael C. Hall: Divisive. I don’t even know if it was divisive.
ScreenRant: People did not like it.
Hall: I think it was a unifying, no, sorry, go on. No, no, no, no. It was very, very unsatisfying. It made narrative sense that he went into self-imposed exile, but that’s not what anybody wanted to see. Or it is certainly not how they wanted anything to end, and then it was tough to see him apparently taken out by his son as well.
ScreenRant: How did you feel about that finale?
Hall: I thought that made narrative sense, storytelling sense. I thought it was much more satisfying and certainly definitive.
What This Means For Dexter: Resurrection
The Ending Should Be More Satisfying
If Hall is confessing to the failures of the original endings, then he may keep an eye on improving the franchise in the future. As an executive producer and a star of the greaterDexterfranchise, he has sway in the direction that the story will take. That means thathe can influence Dexter’s ultimate fate.
Hall has already seen audiences respond negatively to two different possibilities for his character:Leaving the Dark Passengerbehind and dying at his son’s hands. Ifpeace and death were not appropriate endings,Resurrectionshowrunner Clyde Phillips will be hard-pressed to find an appropriate fate for the serial killer of serial killers.
An appropriate ending for a narrative does not inherently make for a satisfying ending.
Still, it is impossible to know exactly when the franchise will end.Dexter: Resurrectionseason 2 has not been officially confirmed, but there is a multi-season plan in place, and the show has been successful. It could easily run for multiple seasons, so it will be some time before Hall needs to settle on an ending.
Our Take On Hall’s Dexter Finale Comments
He’s Certainly Right About The Reaction
Hall indicated that an appropriate ending for a narrative does not inherently make for a satisfying ending. If it lacks that satisfaction, audiences will never fully come to terms with a finale. He acknowledged the need for change on that front, but there is one element of his statement that remains interesting: he did not disregardNew Blood’s controversial ending.
Hall referred to Dexter’s death as “much more satisfying and certainly definitive”, which seemingly indicates thatResurrectioncould end similarly. If he and the other cast and crew members find that both narratively and emotionally fitting, Dexter may not have many more years ahead of him.
However,Dexter: Resurrectionends, it will likely never have a happy ending for Dexter or the Dark Passenger. His story is simply too dark to have a lumberjack finale, after all. Hall should have several more years to think of a satisfying conclusion, but it is extremely unlikely that it will end with Dexter sending himself into “self-imposed exile” again.
Dexter: Resurrection
Cast
Dexter: Resurrection follows Dexter Morgan as he awakens from a coma to discover his son, Harrison, missing. His search leads him to New York City, where he confronts his past and the challenges posed by Miami Metro’s Angel Batista, as father and son face their shared darkness.
