Warning: The next comprises spoilers for the sequence finale of Dexter: New Blood.

Within the sequence finale of Dexter: New Blood, Dexter Morgan was compelled to face the reality.

Though he had efficiently evaded his chief of police girlfriend, he couldn’t escape the truth that his code, the one he had adopted by the ebook for years, was undoubtedly damaged. In consequence, a brokenhearted Harrison pointed his rifle at his personal flesh and blood and pulled the set off. One direct hit later, Miami Metro’s former blood spatter analyst — and the town’s evasive Bay Harbor Butcher — was lastly useless. (Click on right here for a full recap.)

Beneath, showrunner and government producer Clyde Phillips talks to TVLine about respecting the legacy of Dexter, the return of Angel Batista and why the homicide of Sgt. Logan modified all the things.

TVLINE | Did Michael C. Corridor know up entrance that Dexter can be dying, and if that’s the case, what was his preliminary response?
CLYDE PHILLIPS | This all occurred about two and a half years in the past, so I’m undecided if it was the primary or second assembly, however he knew early on that Dexter was going to die. He understood that that was the correct choice. If Dexter retains getting out of a jam each single time then we’re doing a superhero present. We needed to deliver as a lot humanity as we may to the ending of the present, and to say goodbye to the character with dignity and integrity.

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TVLINE | Had been every other endings ever mentioned or thought of?
There have been no different endings mentioned. We at all times knew that it was at all times going to be Harrison taking out his father. How he bought there was the product of 10 nice writers in a writing room for a 12 months and a half developing with all of the nuance and all of the psychology of it. It’s a really brutal and intimate second when this occurs, however I believe it ends the way in which it has to finish.

There’s a sure inevitability to this. Harrison could be very broken. Dwelling with a serial killer in Argentina. She dies. (There are literally folks on the web who suppose he killed Hannah. There are additionally individuals who suppose that Harrison isn’t Harrison. There’s all of these things on the market, I’m positive you’ve seen it.) He broke that wrestler’s arm, he slashed the varsity shooter with a razor blade and lied about it. He was within the room watching his father kill Kurt. He noticed all of the dying round him in Kurt’s tomb. He joined up together with his father to incinerating Kurt. He’s not with out his darkness.

TVLINE | Was there ever any strain from [Showtime’s President of Entertainment] Gary Levine or every other higher-ups to go away issues open or to maintain him alive?
No, truly. Gary and [Showtime Chairman and CEO] David Nevins and Michael C. Corridor had been all in settlement. And Michael is an government producer on the present, and it’s not a conceit title. He’s very lively. He’s in music and casting conferences, he’s seen all of the cuts and provides notes on them. Noticed all of the outlines and scripts. We just about knew from the start the place we had been going with it, which you form of do in every season, in any other case you don’t know the best way to write the intervening episodes. What’s the psychology and subtlety you wish to add to it? What’s the easter egg you wish to put in there? What’s the justification you wish to put in there? In all of the reveals that I do and after I write my books, I do know the ending. That doesn’t imply that if we’re driving throughout nation, we are able to’t go to Canada or Louisiana, or wherever the characters take us, however we’re nonetheless going to get throughout the nation, and get to that ending.

TVLINE | That remaining scene between Dexter and Harrison is dripping with emotion, and simply so heavy. What was the vibe like on set that day?
I’ll inform you a pair behind the scenes issues. To begin with, the vibe writing it, I used to be a wreck. Marcos Siega, who’s a superb director and an awesome pal of Michael’s and mine, we had been chasing the snow in every single place. If it snowed, we ran to that city and shot no matter scene wanted snow. However we additionally knew we would have liked a really weighty, vital scene between Michael and Jack [Alcott], between Dexter and Harrison, so on a really snowy day, we shot the remedy scene inside. We needed to shoot a really heavy scene between the 2 of them in order that Michael may take a look at Jack, and Jack may go to a Michael C. Corridor grasp class, and actually get them going.

The next Saturday, we did a rehearsal at our studio in Massachusetts. Due to COVID, we couldn’t do it in my workplace, we needed to do it within the bullpen, so we cleaned it out so folks might be far sufficient other than one another. I had a baseball bat, for some motive, in my workplace, and Harrison used that as a prop for the rifle. We rehearsed the scene a number of occasions. That they had questions. Marcos did some staging, and I rewrote some issues. That they had some concepts, and we agreed on them.

On the day we had been taking pictures the scene, we knew we had been doing one thing vital and we had been very excited, but it surely in a short time grew to become… not somber, however sacred. Everyone was very quiet, going about their enterprise. The walkie-talkies had been quiet, after which we simply let the actors have it. Marcos would say, ‘OK, the cameras we’re utilizing are right here, right here and right here. Pay attention to them. Play the scene.’

One other dialogue we had was: How does Dexter fall when Harrison pulls the set off? We didn’t need him falling Christ-like and sacrificial. We didn’t need him falling like an angel. Michael, as a result of he’s such an awesome actor, simply stated, ‘My physique goes to be disconnected from my mind and I’m not going to have management over how I fall, so let me simply fall.’ He fell on his aspect slightly bit, and one leg was over the opposite, and it felt like a pure dying, a pure homicide. He needed to be in that place all day lengthy as a result of we needed to shoot the entire Angela and Jack stuff whereas he’s mendacity there. It was an awesome choice on his half to do it like that.

The set was very respectful. And this was early within the shoot. This was the primary month of a six-month shoot, as a result of once more, we would have liked the winter. It was doubly difficult for Jack who was nonetheless stepping into his function. Thank God for Michael serving to him. It took us all day lengthy to shoot and we bought it on the final second of daylight, after which we had been completed. Often whenever you name it a wrap, all people begins yelling, however all people was nonetheless very quiet. They had been nonetheless within the second. That’s the somber half. We had been all very moved by it.

TVLINE | It was nice seeing David Zayas again this season as Angel Batista. What was David’s response upon discovering out that you just needed him again, and what was it wish to work with him once more?
His response was pure pleasure, he stated sure in a single second, as did Lithgow. However having him there, he’s an awesome man. I simply noticed him on the premiere. I’ve stayed involved with him by means of all of the years. David performs such an vital function within the finale, it’s an ideal circle, in a approach. Additionally, it’s the proper menace for Angela to say to Dexter. That Batista’s on his approach up right here and, ‘I’ll not be capable of make this Matt factor stick, however you, Dexter Morgan, are the Bay Harbor Butcher.’ And he is aware of he’s f–ked.

TVLINE | Determining that Dexter killed Logan modified all the things for Harrison. Are you able to communicate a bit as to why Harrison chooses to take Dexter down versus escaping with the dad he lastly related with?
Dexter’s code is so irrevocably damaged that it seems like bulls–t to Harrison. Harrison subconsciously realizes that Dexter is an addict. Dexter’s a assassin. When Harrison talks about killing, he’s pondering, ‘Have a look at all of the lives we are able to save if we take out this serial killer.’ Dexter by no means thought like that. Harrison is pondering like Batman. Dexter’s pondering, ‘My code is I kill individuals who do unhealthy issues.’ Dexter says to Harrison, ‘I wish to be a greater man. I wish to be a greater father, and I can do this together with your assist,’ and Harrison says, ‘I’m not your goddamn caretaker.’ That’s what you say to an addict. It’s too late. You’ve damaged the code, and your code isn’t like taking one other drink or one other drug, your code is murdering folks.

Then he yells at him, which is an Easter egg from the pilot, he says, ‘Open your eyes and have a look at what you’ve completed,’ after which we do the flashback to Logan, Lundy, Doakes, LaGuerta, Rita and Deb, and that’s when Dexter realizes he’s proper. Then there’s this lengthy, lengthy pause, and Dexter says to Harrison, ‘It’s important to take the security off, identical to I confirmed you,’ giving him permission to do that. Urging him, nearly, to do it. Harrison’s weeping, he does it, Dexter falls and says, ‘You probably did good.’ He’s absolving him.

After which there’s Deb, holding Dexter’s hand, that final piece of consciousness that Dexter has. The way in which I had written it was that Dexter pulls his hand out of Deb’s, however Jennifer Carpenter [who plays Debra] on the day stated, ‘Can we attempt only one the place I pull my hand away from him?’ exhibiting that his consciousness goes away. She did it and it was nice and we used it.

TVLINE | Harrison took down the Bay Harbor Butcher. Was there ever an opportunity that Angela may have protected him from the regulation, and that he may have probably stayed in Iron Lake?
Think about a 16-year-old child whose mom was murdered and who’s simply shot his personal father. The place’s he going to reside? That’s 100 years of counseling in a city of two,700 folks. He wanted to go away, and Angela coated for him. Angela, who has apprehensive about that homicide board in her workplace for her complete profession, (after which found them as a result of Dexter despatched her there), is so stuffed with dying and disappointment. She has a chance to do one thing humane and type and swish. She takes duty away from Harrison and places it upon herself and sends him off. She’s a heroine on the finish of the sequence.