Im Still Annoyed That Dexters Reboot Completely Ignored A 12-Year-Old Mystery About 2 Huge OG Characters
Summary
- Dexter: New Blood disappointingly ignores key characters Astor and Cody from the original series, leaving fans questioning their fate.
- While the sequel series focuses on Dexter and Harrison’s relationship, the absence of Rita’s children feels like a missed opportunity.
- The decision to leave Astor and Cody out of New Blood may make sense for their safety, but fans still wish they had a bigger role.
I still find it surprising that Dexter: New Blood ignored two of its most central characters from the first half of the entire series. Although many characters didn’t make it to the Dexter series finale, many of the key cast members who first appeared in Dexter season 1 made it all the way to the final season, including Debra Morgan, Angel Batista, Harry Morgan, Vince Masuka, and of course, Dexter Morgan. Dexter’s first love interest Rita notably died in the season 4 finale at the hands of the Trinity Killer.
The sequel series Dexter: New Blood had the potential to answer dozens of questions about Dexter’s fate after the controversial ending which briefly depicted him living in hiding as a lumberjack far from Miami. While Dexter: New Blood does a good job of showcasing the rekindling relationship between Dexter and Harrison, it mostly ignores the fates of Rita’s two children, Astor and Cody, who were major characters throughout the majority of Dexter that were ultimately forgotten in the end.
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New Blood Never Explained What Happened To Astor & Cody After Dexter Season 7
It feels like a missed opportunity to ignore Astor and Cody in New Blood
Dexter: New Blood certainly has its flaws, one of them being the lack of clarity about what exactly happened to Astor and Cody. This is a surprising creative decision by the Dexter: New Blood development team since, like Harrison, they could have also added a familiar yet updated dynamic for Dexter as he is deep within his new life as Jim in rural upstate New York. Their last appearances were in Dexter season 7. They were briefly accounted for in both season 8 and in New Blood but could have been better utilized.
Even though Astor and Cody are Rita’s kids from a previous marriage with her abusive husband Paul, they were still Dexter’s stepkids who he actually did love as well as Harrison’s siblings. The fact that Harrison found out Dexter’s real backstory but didn’t seek out Astor & Cody in New Blood was pretty absurd and ultimately a missed opportunity for the series overall. New Blood introduced several new characters, but a reunion between Astor, Cody, and Dexter would have been interesting to watch for Dexter fans.
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Dexter Ignoring Astor & Cody’s Is Actually Better For Their Characters
It’s best for their safety to leave Dexter in the past
It does make sense that Astor and Cody would not want to reconnect with Dexter like Harrison did, as it also works to Dexter’s point that he ends up hurting or endangering everyone who loves him. Since they’re not in contact with Dexter or Harrison in New Blood, it’s safer for them and they are better off for it. A scene in which Astor and Cody appeared at Dexter’s doorstep as Harrison did in New Blood would have been cathartic yet forced. Dexter left Rita in the past and Hannah McKay essentially took her place as Harrison’s stepmother of sorts. While Astor and Cody’s absence in Dexter: New Blood is logical, I still wish they had played a bigger part.
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Dexter
Based on the character created by author Jeff Lindsay, Showtime’s Dexter follows Miami Metro Police Department’s most skilled blood spatter analyst, Dexter Morgan, as he attempts to satisfy his Dark Passenger’s need to kill by hunting down criminals who have escaped justice. However, using the rules his adoptive father taught him to remain undiscovered, Dexter must walk the fine line of seemingly blending into society while continuously feeding his dark urges. Dexter faces several serial killers as his facade slowly crumbles around him; with every problem solved by his Dark Passenger, another one arises for his suburban fatherly life. When Dexter takes things personally or feels that the law is failing, he takes matters into his own hands and even compromises the investigations of his co-workers. Dexter aired on Showtime for eight seasons before receiving a mini-sequel series called Dexter: New Blood, which picked up ten years after the show’s events. You can buy each season for just $9.99 for Prime Day.
- Cast
- David Zayas , Michael C. Hall , Lauren Velez , C. S. Lee , James Remar , Jennifer Carpenter , Desmond Harrington , Julie Benz
- Release Date
- October 31, 2010
- Seasons
- 8
- Writers
- Jeff Lindsay , Scott Buck , Scott Reynolds , Tim Schlattmann , Karen Campbell , Melissa Rosenberg , Kevin Maynard , Wendy West , Manny Coto , Daniel Cerone , Jace Richdale , Drew Z. Greenberg , Chip Johannessen , Adam Fierro , Jim Leonard
- Directors
- Clyde Phillips
- Showrunner
- Clyde Phillips
