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How Will It End? Dexter: New Blood Theories

Dexter sees his reflection in a butcher knife the light of which shows over his eyes.

This article will contain spoilers for the first three episodes of Dexter: New Blood, as well as future episode titles, as part of my Dexter: New Blood Theories. Proceed with caution.


We’ve now seen the first three episodes of Dexter: New Blood and if you’ve read my last article, then you know that I have a few theories. Some of them I like, some I hope really don’t come true but my mind is going in regards to where this story could be headed. So I wanted to do a quick, in between episodes Dexter: New Blood Theories edition and get this all out there. As always, I would love to hear your thoughts so be sure to leave me a comment!

Harrison Theories

Lets get to Harrison first. He’s obviously a huge focal point of this series and it’s highly plausible that he could be how this show continues after this season. Let’s start there and work our way out from there.

Theory 1: Harrison assists Dexter in defeating this year’s Big Bad.

Could it happen? Absolutely. Episode 3 showed us that Harrison has taken after his Dad both in terms of intelligence and physical fighting abilities. Also like his Dad, Harrison was “born in blood”, carrying the same trauma around as Dexter that could lead to him being a serial killer. But Dexter isn’t just going to let his son take on the same life that he’s trying to escape from himself. If Harrison is going to take on the family legacy, it either has to result in Dexter dying and Harrison avenging his father or Harrison dying and Dexter having to kill one more time, leaving Dexter in even worse emotional trauma than before as a result of the guilt he will feel over his son’s death. I’ll say this is possible but hopefully not the ultimate outcome.

Theory 2: Harrison has already been killing prior to showing up and is here to kill his father.

This one I would be a little more happy with. Something about the way they just casually mentioned Hannah’s death a few years ago didn’t sit right with me. At first, it seemed like an OK attempt to tell story we needed to know but not dwell on. But then, it started to feel more important, like it was a clue we needed to hold onto, much like the casual line about Harrison’s drug problem. What if Harrison discovered that Hannah had been lying to him about his dad, after finding the letter and killed her, starting off this quest for revenge? This scenario seems like it would have to end with Dexter killing his own child. The show couldn’t end with Dexter dying at the hands of his revenge driven son. While it would make some sense, it would be just as narratively unsatisfying as Bearded Dexter in Oregon.

Dexter and Harrison join the search party
Image courtesy of Showtime

Theory 3: Harrison is being used as bait by someone from Miami.

It’s been mentioned a few times that Harrison was taken to Miami after Hannah died. Why? Just because that’s where he was born? If his birth mother was dead and his biological father was also believed to be dead, as well as his Aunt, there doesn’t seem to be much point in taking him there. Yet it’s been mentioned a few times. Thinking about this a bit more, sure, it’s possible that he was taken to the last American city he lived in but what if Hannah was arrested and didn’t die? Harrison is with her and the cops have some use for him too. Perhaps a late season revelation that Detectives Quinn or Batista, still seeking justice for the deaths of Deb and Maria, have sent Harrison there to lure his father into an eventual death or arrest?

The interesting thing about this idea is that Harrison could change his mind about wanting to take his father down. He could reveal to his father why he’s really there and then father and son could work together. Or Dexter could finally meet the fate that many people wanted to see him meet all along, with a nice tie back to the original series.

Theory 4: Harrison is how we get our tie in with The Trinity Killer.

The Trinity Killer was by far Dexter’s greatest foe and one of the most compelling villains in the history of television. His cycle of killing a woman in a bathtub, then forcing a married mother of two to jump to her death, then killing a married husband of two to replay how his family died was starting again, with the death of Harrison’s mother, Rita. The cycle didn’t finish, that we know of.

It’s common knowledge that John Lithgow is appearing in an episode of Dexter: New Blood but there’s no indication as to how. A ghost or a vision? While it’s easy to assume that it would be Dexter who sees him, could it be Harrison, the child who witness The Trinity Killer’s final murder? Could Trinity be the embodiment of Harrison’s Dark Passenger? It sounds far fetched but it would be chilling and a really interesting way to bring things full circle.

Angela Theories

I’m really fond of the Angela character. I think she’s a good cop in a town full of below average cops, which is enough of a reason to work her into my Dexter: New Blood Theories. That being said, I can’t see her being villainous in any way. I can’t see her working with a killer or being a part of the kidnappings. But I do have another thought.

Theory 5: Angela, not Harrison, is the one working with Miami law enforcement to bring Dexter down. This woman is a good cop and I just can’t see her falling for Dexter’s manipulations and facades, the way other cops have. There’s something to her and I could see her, much like Doakes in the original series, being onto Dexter. To the point where she started researching him, found his old peers in Miami and is setting up the end game for Dexter, where he will finally have to answer to his years worth of crimes. This would be a satisfying conclusion to me and a nice way to work in a few cameos and bring things full circle.

Dexter and Angela sneaking in a moment on the investigation
image courtesy of Showtime

New Killer Theories

Now I’m on record saying that I think Kurt is the killer of this season. The age, the eyes, the body type, the way the new killer hunts his victims just like Kurt’s son Matt was obsessed with getting a new high power rifle to hunt—it all adds up. The millionaire guy is a decoy and Kurt is our guy. And this new killer is obsessed with blood, just like Dexter.

Theory 6: Kurt is Dexter’s father.

I know, I hate this theory too. But if Season 1 was about Dexter’s relationship with his half brother (from his mom’s side) and the murder of his mother was the source of his trauma, it almost makes some kind of strange sense that this blood obsessed killer (Kurt) is Dexter’s father. Which means that Dexter just killed another brother of his (Matt) and in a sense, killed his sister too. Which, yeah, is a lot.

From a certain standpoint, having Dexter face off with his father in a season that’s all about Dexter being a father and facing the neglect of his own child does make some narrative sense. Especially if the culmination results in either Dexter or Harrison dying and the fall out that comes from that.

Sins of the Father

While not every episode title has been made available, it is known that the season finale is titled “Sins of the Father”. When looking at Dexter: New Blood Theories, this is an important fact to take into consideration. It could mean that Harrison is paying for things his father has done. Or that Dexter is paying for the sins of his father, whether that’s Harry, Kurt or someone else. Perhaps it’s even a reference to Matt and a reflection on how he lost his life perhaps due to his father’s influence on him. It’s hard to say. Showrunner Clyde Phillips has done numerous interviews over the years, discussing how he would’ve ended Dexter had he not left after Season 4 and more recently, about how the finale is going to “blow up the internet”. What’s my theory on that you ask?

Harrison will be the one paying for the sins of his father, by losing a father who will meet the fate he was always destined to have. Harrison will be a teenager all alone in this world, with both parents and the woman who raised him all gone. What I would like to see happen is for the cycles of trauma to not be passed down to the next generation and with his father’s death (or capture), Harrison breaks free. Which ultimately, is what Dexter wants more than anything.

Written by Andrew Grevas

Andrew is the Founder / Editor in Chief of 25YL. He’s engaged with 2 sons, a staunch defender of the series finales for both Lost & The Sopranos and watched Twin Peaks at the age of 5 during its original run, which explains a lot about his personality.

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One Comment

  1. Just have to say, in season one, Dexter, Rita, Brian/Rudy, and Deb clear out the house of Dexter’s biological father, the guy with the spider web tattoo on his elbow if I remember correctly. I think Dexter even did a blood test to prove it and he had memories of being in a car with him. So this Kurt dude is definitely NOT Dexter’s father.