The fact that the death of Deb Morgan in the original ending of Dexter had a significant influence on Dexter’s life is betrayed by the fact that his last phrase is said in New Blood.
CAUTION: the following contains plot spoilers for the tenth episode of Dexter: New Blood.
The death of Debra Morgan in the first season finale of Dexter was both devastating and incredibly profound; this is something that Dexter’s last sentence at the conclusion of New Blood reveals.
Throughout the first season of the show, Dexter came to the conclusion that he was unable to experience love. However, as the series progressed, he eventually came to understand that there was actually a minimum of 2 people for whom he could love unconditionally: his sister Deb as well as his son Harrison.
Why would the conclusion of Dexter: New Blood diminish the impact of Dexter’s emotional breakdown after Deb’s murder, for which he took responsibility, and the subsequent decision to leave Harrison and ride into a storm in the show’s contentious eighth season finale?
There is no question that Harrison is one of the few persons in the world for whom Dexter has ever felt love, despite the fact that certain individuals have the misconception that Dexter does not genuinely care for Harrison.
It was once assumed that Dexter did not love Harrison’s mother Rita; however, the fact that he broke down in tears at her passing in the season 4 finale demonstrated otherwise.
Even though Dexter eventually admitted that he loved Hannah McKay before the end of the eighth season of Dexter, these emotions of love fade in contrast to the firmly embedded relationships he has with Deb and Harrison.
In the opening episode of the original Dexter series, the main mass murderer says that if he was able to feel love, he would like to experience it with Deb.
This is among the opening statements that Dexter delivers. If Dexter was really going to experience love, it would be for his sister Deb but also for his son, who later acquired their own Dark Passenger.
The death of Deb in the last episode of Dexter’s first series was one of the saddest heartbreaking scenes in the show’s history.
She had suffered problems during surgery after getting shot by Oliver Saxon, and as a result, she had become comatose; hence, in the last seconds of the episode, Dexter gently disconnected her from her life support system.
Even though it was unnecessary to point out that Deb was the person to whom Dexter was closest throughout the whole of his life, their unbreakable relationship was cemented when Dexter said “I love you, Deb” to her just before she took her final breath.
It was among the few times in Dexter’s life that he’d ever said, “I love you,” and sincerely meant it. Because of this, Dexter took the choice to make attempt his own life during the hurricane because he could no longer bear to witness the suffering that he had brought upon his loved ones as a direct result of his actions.
The fact that Dexter had a genuine affection for Deb in no way diminishes the feelings he has for Harrison. But in the last episode of Dexter: New Blood, he admits that up until this point, he has “never felt genuine love,” which refers to the time when Harrison murders Dexter.
This phrase implies that Dexter has never actually truly loved anybody other than Harrison, and only in this instant, which belies the importance of Deb’s death scene in the original series finale. Harrison is the only person Dexter has ever truly loved.
Although Deb is the final individual Dexter saw prior to actually passing away in New Blood as she holds his hand and carries him to the afterlife, Dexter’s claim that he could never really experience love until Harrison chose to murder him appears very out of character.
Throughout all of these years, Harrison’s birth and Deb’s murder were the 2 occasions in the initial Dexter series that demonstrated that Dexter was still capable of feeling love for someone.
It is a betrayal of two of the most significant plotlines from the original shows for the final episode of Dexter: New Blood to state that he didn’t love Harrison till that point and to imply that he didn’t truly feel love for Deb once she pass away. Both of these statements are made in the context of the series conclusion.
Deb’s murder was controversial for her character in the Dexter original series ending, however, it made logic since Dexter’s utter anguish at her passing was the tipping point that caused him to quit murdering.
It is possible to debate that Dexter’s comeback to serial murder in the first instance in Dexter: New Blood was a betrayal of the effect of Deb’s death; yet, the implication that he never genuinely loved her makes the situation even harder.
Although it was unavoidable that Dexter would pass away in New Blood in order for his tale to reach its conclusion, scripting the death of Dexter with the intention of undermining Deb and Dexter’s bond because of Harrison’s involvement repeats the crimes committed against Deb’s persona.
