Dexter: 10 Unresolved Plot Threads The Revival Must Address
Dexter is coming back, but the revival has a lot of questions to answer!
Dexter ran from 2006 - 2013 and lasted a total of eight seasons on Showtime before the titular serial killer's story reached its end. While those final few seasons were widely considered a disappointment by fans of the show, it was the divisive finale which posed the biggest problem (even now, it can frequently be found on lists of the all-time worst TV finales).
Seven years after the series ended, it's been confirmed that a revival is in the works. Set to run for ten episodes and currently taking aim at a Fall 2021 debut, there's a huge amount of excitement surrounding what Michael C. Hall's Dexter Morgan will do next.
One of the show's producers has teased that Dexter has "[a] dark passenger is a voice he cannot deny," adding: "People are going to die." That sounds more interesting than focusing on the serial killer's newfound job as a lumberjack, but as well as making up for the finale, this ninth season has a tonne of unanswered questions to address.
With that in mind, this feature examines the biggest unresolved plot threads the revival must address in some way, from the fates of certain characters to what became of Dexter once the credits rolled...
10. How Does Dexter Come To Terms With His Sister Being In Love With Him?
In the penultimate episode of Dexter, his sister Debra is shot and ends up being declared brain-dead in the finale after suffering a stroke. With a hurricane closing in on Miamia, the serial killer heads to the hospital, takes his sister off life support, and takes her body out to sea in what appears to be a suicide attempt...which the viewer is left to assume was unsuccessful.
That alone is going to have had a major impact on Dexter, but don't forget that in season six, Debra revealed that she had fallen in love with her adoptive brother.
It was a gross, unpopular storyline, but one that complicated their relationship before it was sidelined (much to the relief of many fans) upon her discovering that Dexter was a killer. While Debra may be dead and gone, it's impossible to imagine she won't factor into this extra season in some form, and the title character will have to deal with both her death and the feelings she had for him.
It seems inevitable it will be addressed in some way, but how Dexter processes that as a psychopath could have major ramifications for whatever for this season takes.